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arXiv:cond-mat/0509207

Noise suppression in transmission of single flux quantum signals

Anna V. Gordeeva, A. L. Pankratov

Published Sep 8, 2005• 0 citations
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Abstract

We present the analysis of the mean switching time and its standard deviation of an overdamped Josephson junction, driven by a direct current and a single flux quantum (SFQ) pulse. The performed analysis allows to find the optimal value of the bias current of the clock generator, responsible for the shape of SFQ pulse, which minimizes noise-induced switching errors.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.cond-mat/0509207

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We present the analysis of the mean switching time and its standard deviation of an overdamped Josephson junction, driven by a direct current and a single flux quantum (SFQ) pulse. The performed analysis allows to find the optimal value of the bias current of the clock generator, responsible for the shape of SFQ pulse, which minimizes noise-induced switching errors.
In this study, the trade-off among power consumptions, operating frequencies, and error rates in low-power single-flux-quantum (SFQ) circuit is investigated. The power consumption of SFQ circuits can be reduced by the lowering critical currents (IcI_{\mathrm{c}}Ic​values) of the Josephson junctions (JJs), or the bias voltage (VbV_{\mathrm{b}}Vb​). The shifts and spreads of timing parameter fluctuations whenIcI_{\mathrm{c}}Ic​andVbV_{\mathrm{b}}Vb​were lowered were numerically analyzed, with consideration of thermal noise at 4.2 K. The timing behaviors afterIcI_{\mathrm{c}}Ic​was lowered were relatively simple, being based on the signal-to-noise ratio, whereas those for loweredVbV_{\mathrm{b}}Vb​values were complicated because of the dynamic behaviors of JJs driven at reduced voltage. The simulation results imply that the operating frequencies decreased because the timing windows narrowed, but the highest energy efficiency was obtained when we loweredIcI_{\mathrm{c}}Ic​orVbV_{\mathrm{b}}Vb​to 6.25% of their conventional values, and the energy reduction after lowering ofVbV_{\mathrm{b}}Vb​was 26% better than that after lowering ofIcI_{\mathrm{c}}Ic​. Moreover, if a small error rate (for example10−610^{-6}10−6) is acceptable, further improvement in energy efficiency would be expected at significantly higher clock frequencies than would be the case if the SFQ circuit must exhibit error-free operation.
The process of reproduction of single flux quantum pulses in a Josephson junction chain composed of a pulse generator, a balanced comparator, and a single Josephson junction is investigated. It is shown that the reproduction of single flux quantum pulses in such a chain is more stable and the mean and the standard deviation of switching time are minimal for the McCumber-Stewart parameter value from 0.5 to 1 and for a normalized clock generator current around 1.5. The influence of input and output inductances on the characteristics of a balanced comparator is investigated. The recommended value of the output inductance leading to smooth pulses and relatively small jitter is around unity.
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We have designed and tested a Rapid Single-Flux-Quantum (RSFQ) circuit for experimental measurement of the fluctuation-induced threshold uncertainty of switching of SFQ comparators, which are essential components of RSFQ logic devices, analog-to-digital converters, and digital SQUIDs. Statistical density of the switching events in comparators using externally-overdamped Nb-trilayer Josephson junctions has been found to be in agreement with the distribution which follows from a simple theory based on a time-dependent harmonic-oscillator model of the device. Width of the distribution (i.e, the single-shot current resolution of the comparator) measured as a function of temperature in the range 1.7-4.2 K corresponds to fundamental (thermal/quantum) fluctuations, with no evidence of excess noise sources.>
We adopt superconductor/ferromagnet/insulator/superconductor (SFIS) Josephson junctions (JJs) as both switching JJs and intrinsic π phase shifters in superconductor digital circuits. The critical current density (Jc) and characteristic voltage (Vc) of the SFIS junctions are about 22 A/cm2 and 22 μV, respectively. The intrinsic π phase shift is confirmed by measuring the suppressed nominal critical current Icn and half-period-shifted modulation pattern of a π–π–π superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) that contains three π-JJs in a superconducting loop. A single-flux-quantum (SFQ) circuit composed of a DC/SFQ, Josephson transmission line (JTL), and SFQ/DC converter based on SFIS JJs alone is demonstrated at 4.2 K. The energy dissipation of the SFQ/DC converter decreases by 80% because some JJs are self-biased by the π phase shifter. The intrinsic circulating currents induced by the π phase shifters lead to a narrow bias margin (±5%) and even error function, which can be solved by parameters optimization or circuit initialization in the future. The half-modulation period (Φ0/2) of a half-flux-quantum (HFQ) SQUID (a partial HFQ JTL) exhibits propagation of HFQ between π–π–π SQUIDs, indicating that more complex HFQ circuits can be developed with π-JJs alone in the future.