Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology

Quantum circuits with SINIS structures

Michael A. Tarasov, M. Yu. Fominsky, Aleksandra A. Gunbina, A. A. Krasilnikov, Maria Mansfeld, D. E. Kukushkin, Andrei Maruhno, V. A. Ievleva, Mikhail V. Strelkov, Daniil Zhogov, K. Yu. Arutyunov, Vyacheslav F. Vdovin, Vladislav Stolyarov, Valerian S. Edelman

Published Nov 4, 2025• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

The superconductor–insulator–normal metal–insulator–superconductor (SINIS) tunnel junction structure is the basic building block for various cryogenic devices. Microwave detectors, electron coolers, primary thermometers, and Aharonov–Bohm interferometers have been fabricated by various methods and measured at temperatures down to 100 mK. The manufacturing methods included Dolan-type shadow evaporation, Manhattan-type shadow evaporation, and magnetron sputtering with selective etching of superconducting and normal metal electrodes. Improvement in ultimate sensitivity is achieved by suspending the absorber above the substrate. Best responsivity of up to 30 electrons per photon at a frequency of 350 GHz, or 72000 A/W, and voltage responsivity up to 3.9 × 10 9 V/W were obtained with a black body radiation source and series of band-pass filters. The specially designed SINIS arrays are intended to detect 90 GHz radiation at the “Big Telescope Alt-azimuthal” (romanized Russian: “Bolshoi Teleskop Alt-azimutalnyi”, BTA) with noise equivalent power of less than 10 −16 W·Hz −1/2 . The receiver in a 3 He cryostat with an optical window was mounted at the Nasmyth focus of the BTA and tested at a temperature of 260 mK with a IMPATT diode radiation source.

DOI
10.3762/bjnano.16.134

Related papers

SINIS bolometer with a suspended absorber

Michael A. Tarasov, Valeryan S. Edel'man, Sumedh Mahashabde +6 more

We have developed a Superconductor-Insulator-Normal Metal-Insulator-Superconductor (SINIS) bolometer with a suspended normal metal bridge. The suspended bridge acts as a bolometric absorber with reduced heat losses to the substrate. Such bolometers were characterized at 100-350 mK bath temperatures and electrical responsivity of over 10 9 V/W was measured by dc heating the absorber through additional contacts. Suspended bolometers were also integrated in planar twin-slot and log-periodic antennas for operation in the submillimetre-band of radiation. The measured voltage response to radiation at 300 GHz and at 100 mK bath temperature is 3*10 8 V/W and a current response is 1.1*10 4 A/W which corresponds to a quantum efficiency of ~15 electrons per photon. An important feature of such suspended bolometers is the thermalization of electrons in the absorber heated by optical radiation, which in turn provides better quantum efficiency. This has been confirmed by comparison of bolometric response to dc and rf heating. We investigate the performance of direct SN traps and NIS traps with a tunnel barrier between the superconductor and normal metal trap. Increasing the volume of superconducting electrode helps to reduce overheating of superconductor. Influence of Andreev reflection and Kapitza resistance, as well as electron-phonon heat conductivity and thermal conductivity of N-wiring are estimated for such SINIS devices.

Journal of Physics Conference Series•Mar 1, 2018•2 citations

Microwave SINIS Detectors

Michael A. Tarasov, Aleksandra A. Gunbina, Artem M. Chekushkin +3 more

This review presents the main characteristics and mechanisms of operation of superconductor–insulator–normal metal–insulator–superconductor (SINIS) microwave detectors. An analysis of the detectors’ performance against a quantum detector and a photon counter is given. Methods for cooling a superconductor using normal metal traps and the role of electron cooling in optimizing the current response to terahertz radiation are discussed. Fabrication methods using shadow evaporation as well as magnetron sputtering are described.

Applied Sciences•Oct 18, 2022•11 citations

Response of a SINIS Detector with Electron Cooling to Submillimeter-Wave Radiation

Aleksandra A. Gunbina, S. A. Lemzyakov, Michael A. Tarasov +2 more

The response of a detector fabricated on a silicon substrate in the form of a metamaterial that is a 10 × 10 matrix of split rings containing superconductor-insulator-normal metal-insulator-superconductor tunnel structures to submillimeter wave radiation has been experimentally studied. At voltages below the superconducting gap, the electron temperature T e at the substrate temperature T ∼ 0.1 K is ∼0.23 K due to overheating by spurious radiation. At the substrate temperature T ∼ 0.3 K, the electron temperature is close to the substrate temperature T e ≈ T. In both cases, with increasing voltage, T e decreases due to electron cooling and reaches 0.19 K at a voltage corresponding to the maximum response. The response at T = 0.1 K is greater than that at T ∼ 0.3 K by a factor of 5–6. Thus, cooling of only electrons does not provide the same responsivity as cooling of the detector as a whole.

Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics Letters•May 1, 2020•5 citations

Terahertz spectroscopy with a Josephson oscillator and a SINIS bolometer

Michael A. Tarasov, L. S. Kuzmin, Е. А. Степанцов +5 more

The voltage response of a thin-film normal-metal hot-electron bolometer based on a SINIS (superconductor-insulator-normal metal-insulator-superconductor) structure to the radiation of a high-temperature Josephson junction in the terahertz frequency region was measured. Bolometers were integrated with planar log-periodic and double-dipole antennas, and Josephson junctions were integrated with log-periodic antennas. Measurements showed that the Josephson junction at a temperature of 260 mK was overheated by the transport current, so that its electron temperature exceeded 3 K at a bias voltage of 1 mV. The maximum response of a bolometer with a double-dipole antenna was observed at a frequency of 300 GHz, which agreed well with the calculated value. The Josephson radiation was observed at frequencies up to 1.7 THz. The voltage response of a bolometer reached 4×10 8 V/W, and the total noise-equivalent power reached 1.5×10 −17 W/Hz 1/2 .

Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics Letters•Mar 1, 2004•10 citations

Ultrasensitive Cold-Electron Bolometer

Ian Jasper Agulo

The Cold-Electron Bolometer (CEB) is an ultrasensitive device designed for the detection of cosmic microwave background radiation. The key to its sensitivity is the electron cooling of the absorber by the superconductor-insulator-normal metal (SIN) tunnel junction. At a voltage near and below the superconducting gap, the electrons in the absorber are cooled well below the phonon temperature of the normal metal. This translates to the enhanced sensitivity of the CEB. This thesis describes the work we have done on the optimization of electron cooling of the normal metal absorber, and our measurement of the sensitivity of the CEB. We have optimized the electron cooling of the absorber by SIN tunnel junctions. The best electron cooling was achieved when normal metal traps were added in proximity to the superconducting electrodes in addition to the advanced geometry of the superconducting electrodes. With these modifications, we have decreased the electron temperature by 198 mK. With just the advanced geometry, the electron temperature drop was 129 mK. With just a simple geometry, the drop in temperature was 56 mK.The noise equivalent power (NEP) of the CEB was also measured at 100 mK to be at the level of 10^-18 W/Hz^1/2 at 1 kHz. The NEP was obtained by measuring the noise of the CEB, and then dividing that by its power responsivity, dV/dP. The main limitation in our measurements was the noise component from the amplifier. Finally, we have made measurements on the temperature sensitivity of the SIN tunnel junctions. We have compared the sensitivity between single and ten SIN junctions in series and found that it increases proportionally to the number of junctions. The best temperature responsivity obtained for 10 junctions was approximately 15 μV/mK. Using such thermometer, we have been able to measure the temperature stability of the Oxford Instruments cryogenfree refrigerator to be plus/minus 250 μK for a period of 8 hours. The resolution of the thermometer was measured to be plus/minus100 μK, limited by the noise due to the amplifier. The current and future works are also discussed. These include: a CEB array designed to distribute the total power load, improving further the sensitivity; a one-thousand SIN tunnel junction series thermometer in order to realize and understand the fundamental limitation of such a device; a superconducting cold-electron bolometer (SCEB) for high background power loads; and different read-out systems including an on-chip quasiparticle amplifier (QPA).

•Aug 1, 2007•0 citations

SINIS Josephson junctions for programmable Josephson voltage standard circuits

H. Schulze, F. Muller, Ralf Behr +3 more

Nonhysteretic Josephson junctions with a superconductor-insulator-normal metal-insulator-superconductor (SINIS) structure fabricated using the reliable Nb-AlO/sub x/ technology have been used for the design and fabrication of a 1-V inherently stable Josephson voltage standard. The superconducting circuit can be driven at the same microwave frequencies as conventional SIS circuits. The microwave-induced 1-V step is suitable for calibration purposes. The successful operation of the 1-V circuit is due to an internal, phase-locked oscillation of all SINIS junctions which are embedded in a low-impedance strip-line. The microwave power required for exciting the coherent oscillation is very low and allows the integration of low power sources. Even operation without any external microwave source appears to be possible.

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity•Jun 1, 1999•51 citations
The superconductor–insulator–normal metal–insulator–superconductor (SINIS) tunnel junction structure is the basic building block for various cryogenic devices. Microwave detectors, electron coolers, primary thermometers, and Aharonov–Bohm interferometers have been fabricated by various methods and measured at temperatures down to 100 mK. The manufacturing methods included Dolan-type shadow evaporation, Manhattan-type shadow evaporation, and magnetron sputtering with selective etching of superconducting and normal metal electrodes. Improvement in ultimate sensitivity is achieved by suspending the absorber above the substrate. Best responsivity of up to 30 electrons per photon at a frequency of 350 GHz, or 72000 A/W, and voltage responsivity up to 3.9 × 10 9 V/W were obtained with a black body radiation source and series of band-pass filters. The specially designed SINIS arrays are intended to detect 90 GHz radiation at the “Big Telescope Alt-azimuthal” (romanized Russian: “Bolshoi Teleskop Alt-azimutalnyi”, BTA) with noise equivalent power of less than 10 −16 W·Hz −1/2 . The receiver in a 3 He cryostat with an optical window was mounted at the Nasmyth focus of the BTA and tested at a temperature of 260 mK with a IMPATT diode radiation source.
We have developed a Superconductor-Insulator-Normal Metal-Insulator-Superconductor (SINIS) bolometer with a suspended normal metal bridge. The suspended bridge acts as a bolometric absorber with reduced heat losses to the substrate. Such bolometers were characterized at 100-350 mK bath temperatures and electrical responsivity of over 10 9 V/W was measured by dc heating the absorber through additional contacts. Suspended bolometers were also integrated in planar twin-slot and log-periodic antennas for operation in the submillimetre-band of radiation. The measured voltage response to radiation at 300 GHz and at 100 mK bath temperature is 3*10 8 V/W and a current response is 1.1*10 4 A/W which corresponds to a quantum efficiency of ~15 electrons per photon. An important feature of such suspended bolometers is the thermalization of electrons in the absorber heated by optical radiation, which in turn provides better quantum efficiency. This has been confirmed by comparison of bolometric response to dc and rf heating. We investigate the performance of direct SN traps and NIS traps with a tunnel barrier between the superconductor and normal metal trap. Increasing the volume of superconducting electrode helps to reduce overheating of superconductor. Influence of Andreev reflection and Kapitza resistance, as well as electron-phonon heat conductivity and thermal conductivity of N-wiring are estimated for such SINIS devices.
This review presents the main characteristics and mechanisms of operation of superconductor–insulator–normal metal–insulator–superconductor (SINIS) microwave detectors. An analysis of the detectors’ performance against a quantum detector and a photon counter is given. Methods for cooling a superconductor using normal metal traps and the role of electron cooling in optimizing the current response to terahertz radiation are discussed. Fabrication methods using shadow evaporation as well as magnetron sputtering are described.
The response of a detector fabricated on a silicon substrate in the form of a metamaterial that is a 10 × 10 matrix of split rings containing superconductor-insulator-normal metal-insulator-superconductor tunnel structures to submillimeter wave radiation has been experimentally studied. At voltages below the superconducting gap, the electron temperature T e at the substrate temperature T ∼ 0.1 K is ∼0.23 K due to overheating by spurious radiation. At the substrate temperature T ∼ 0.3 K, the electron temperature is close to the substrate temperature T e ≈ T. In both cases, with increasing voltage, T e decreases due to electron cooling and reaches 0.19 K at a voltage corresponding to the maximum response. The response at T = 0.1 K is greater than that at T ∼ 0.3 K by a factor of 5–6. Thus, cooling of only electrons does not provide the same responsivity as cooling of the detector as a whole.
The voltage response of a thin-film normal-metal hot-electron bolometer based on a SINIS (superconductor-insulator-normal metal-insulator-superconductor) structure to the radiation of a high-temperature Josephson junction in the terahertz frequency region was measured. Bolometers were integrated with planar log-periodic and double-dipole antennas, and Josephson junctions were integrated with log-periodic antennas. Measurements showed that the Josephson junction at a temperature of 260 mK was overheated by the transport current, so that its electron temperature exceeded 3 K at a bias voltage of 1 mV. The maximum response of a bolometer with a double-dipole antenna was observed at a frequency of 300 GHz, which agreed well with the calculated value. The Josephson radiation was observed at frequencies up to 1.7 THz. The voltage response of a bolometer reached 4×10 8 V/W, and the total noise-equivalent power reached 1.5×10 −17 W/Hz 1/2 .
The Cold-Electron Bolometer (CEB) is an ultrasensitive device designed for the detection of cosmic microwave background radiation. The key to its sensitivity is the electron cooling of the absorber by the superconductor-insulator-normal metal (SIN) tunnel junction. At a voltage near and below the superconducting gap, the electrons in the absorber are cooled well below the phonon temperature of the normal metal. This translates to the enhanced sensitivity of the CEB. This thesis describes the work we have done on the optimization of electron cooling of the normal metal absorber, and our measurement of the sensitivity of the CEB. We have optimized the electron cooling of the absorber by SIN tunnel junctions. The best electron cooling was achieved when normal metal traps were added in proximity to the superconducting electrodes in addition to the advanced geometry of the superconducting electrodes. With these modifications, we have decreased the electron temperature by 198 mK. With just the advanced geometry, the electron temperature drop was 129 mK. With just a simple geometry, the drop in temperature was 56 mK.The noise equivalent power (NEP) of the CEB was also measured at 100 mK to be at the level of 10^-18 W/Hz^1/2 at 1 kHz. The NEP was obtained by measuring the noise of the CEB, and then dividing that by its power responsivity, dV/dP. The main limitation in our measurements was the noise component from the amplifier. Finally, we have made measurements on the temperature sensitivity of the SIN tunnel junctions. We have compared the sensitivity between single and ten SIN junctions in series and found that it increases proportionally to the number of junctions. The best temperature responsivity obtained for 10 junctions was approximately 15 μV/mK. Using such thermometer, we have been able to measure the temperature stability of the Oxford Instruments cryogenfree refrigerator to be plus/minus 250 μK for a period of 8 hours. The resolution of the thermometer was measured to be plus/minus100 μK, limited by the noise due to the amplifier. The current and future works are also discussed. These include: a CEB array designed to distribute the total power load, improving further the sensitivity; a one-thousand SIN tunnel junction series thermometer in order to realize and understand the fundamental limitation of such a device; a superconducting cold-electron bolometer (SCEB) for high background power loads; and different read-out systems including an on-chip quasiparticle amplifier (QPA).
Nonhysteretic Josephson junctions with a superconductor-insulator-normal metal-insulator-superconductor (SINIS) structure fabricated using the reliable Nb-AlO/sub x/ technology have been used for the design and fabrication of a 1-V inherently stable Josephson voltage standard. The superconducting circuit can be driven at the same microwave frequencies as conventional SIS circuits. The microwave-induced 1-V step is suitable for calibration purposes. The successful operation of the 1-V circuit is due to an internal, phase-locked oscillation of all SINIS junctions which are embedded in a low-impedance strip-line. The microwave power required for exciting the coherent oscillation is very low and allows the integration of low power sources. Even operation without any external microwave source appears to be possible.