Josephson emission with frequency span 1-11 THz from small Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ mesa structures

Word and bit line operation of a 1 × 1 μm2 superconducting vortex-based memory

The lack of dense random access memory is one of the main bottlenecks for the creation of a digital superconducting computer. In this work we study experimentally vortex-based superconducting memory cells. Three main results are obtained. First, we test scalability and demonstrate that the cells can be straightforwardly miniaturized to submicron sizes. Second, we emphasize the importance of conscious geometrical engineering. In the studied devices we introduce an asymmetric easy track for vortex motion and show that it enables a controllable manipulation of vortex states. Finally, we perform a detailed analysis of word and bit line operation of a 1 × 1 μm2 cell. High-endurance, non-volatile operation at zero magnetic field is reported. Remarkably, we observe that the combined word and bit line threshold current is significantly reduced compared to the bare word-line operation. This could greatly improve the selectivity of individual cell addressing in a multi-cell RAM. The achieved one square micron area is an important milestone and a significant step forward towards creation of a dense cryogenic memory.

A distributed active patch antenna model of a Josephson oscillator

Optimization of Josephson oscillators requires a quantitative understanding of their microwave properties. A Josephson junction has a geometry similar to a microstrip patch antenna. However, it is biased by a dc current distributed over the whole area of the junction. The oscillating electric field is generated internally via the ac-Josephson effect. In this work, I present a distributed, active patch antenna model of a Josephson oscillator. It takes into account the internal Josephson electrodynamics and allows for the determination of the effective input resistance, which couples the Josephson current to cavity modes in the transmission line formed by the junction. The model provides full characterization of Josephson oscillators and explains the origin of the low radiative power efficiency. Finally, I discuss the design of an optimized Josephson patch oscillator capable of reaching high efficiency and radiation power for emission into free space.

Observation of collective excitation of surface plasmon resonances in large Josephson junction arrays

Josephson junctions can be used as sources of microwave radiation. However, synchronization of many junctions is required for achieving a coherent amplification of the emitted power. In this work we present an experimental study of large arrays containing up to one thousand Nb/Nb _x Si_{1- x} /Nb junctions. The arrays exhibit profound cavity mode resonances, corresponding to the formation of standing waves at the electrode/substrate interface. We observe that resonant steps in the current-voltage characteristics appear above some threshold number of junctions, N _th ≈ 100, and then progressively enhance in amplitude with further increment of the number of junctions in the resistive oscillating state. We use an external detector to measure the emission of electromagnetic waves. The emission power correlates with the step amplitude. Our results indicate that the emission is facilitated by the cavity modes in the electrodes. The modes are collectively excited by active junctions. In turn, the standing wave imprints its order on the array, facilitating mutual phase-locking of junctions. This provides an indirect coupling mechanism, allowing for the synchronization of junctions, which do not directly interact with each other. Our results demonstrate that electrodes can effectively work as a common external resonator, facilitating long-range phase-locking of large junction arrays with sizes larger than the emitted wavelength.

Coherent amplification of radiation from two phase-locked Josephson junction arrays

We analyze experimentally and theoretically mutual phase locking and electromagnetic interaction between two linear arrays with a large number of Josephson junctions. Arrays with different separation, either on the same chip or on two separate substrates are studied. We observe a large coherent gain, up to a factor of three, of emitted power from two simultaneously biased arrays, compared to the sum of powers from two individually biased arrays. The phenomenon is attributed to the phase locking of junctions in different arrays via a common electromagnetic field. Remarkably, the gain can exceed the factor of two expected for a simple constructive interference of two oscillators. The larger gain is explained by an additional consequence of mutual interaction between two large arrays. Mutual phase locking of large arrays does not only result in constructive interference outside the arrays, but also improved synchronization of junctions inside each array. Our conclusion is supported by numerical modelling.

Coherent emission from surface Josephson plasmons in striped cuprates

We observe anomalous terahertz emission in photo-excited high-TC cuprates with coexisting superconductivity and charge-stripe order, in absence of any external magnetic field or current bias. Because this phenomenon should be forbidden by symmetry, our observation indicates a symmetry breaking in the stripe phase. The emission spectrum reveals the excitation of surface Josephson plasmons, which are generally dark modes but become coupled to the electromagnetic continuum in these materials by the presence of stripes. The study of coherent anomalous terahertz emission emerges as a sensitive tool to probe the symmetry of superconductors in the presence of frustrated couplings, which is a key topic in the physics of these materials.

The interplay between charge order and superconductivity remains one of the central themes of research in quantum materials. In the case of cuprates, the coupling between striped charge fluctuations and local electromagnetic fields is especially important, as it affects transport properties, coherence, and dimensionality of superconducting correlations. Here, we study the emission of coherent terahertz radiation in single-layer cuprates of the La_2-xBa_xCuO₄ family, for which this effect is expected to be forbidden by symmetry. We find that emission vanishes for compounds in which the stripes are quasi-static but is activated when c-axis inversion symmetry is broken by incommensurate or fluctuating charge stripes, such as in La_1.905Ba_0.095CuO₄ and in La_1.845Ba_0.155CuO₄. In this case, terahertz radiation is emitted by surface Josephson plasmons, which are generally dark modes, but couple to free space electromagnetic radiation because of the stripe modulation.

Demonstration of a superconducting diode-with-memory, operational at zero magnetic field with switchable nonreciprocity

Diode is one of the basic electronic components. It has a nonreciprocal current response, associated with a broken space/time reversal symmetry. Here we demonstrate prototypes of superconducting diodes operational at zero magnetic field. They are based on conventional niobium planar Josephson junctions, in which space/time symmetry is broken by a combination of self-field effect from nonuniform bias and stray fields from a trapped Abrikosov vortex. We demonstrate that nonreciprocity of critical current in such diodes can reach an order of magnitude and rectification efficiency can exceed 70%. Furthermore, we can easily change the diode polarity and switch nonreciprocity on/off by changing the bias configuration and by trapping/removing of a vortex. This facilitates a memory functionality. We argue that such a diode-with-memory can be used for a future generation of in-memory superconducting computers.

Design aspects of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ THz sources: optimization of thermal and radiative properties

Impedance matching and heat management are important factors influencing the performance of terahertz sources. In this work we analyze thermal and radiative properties of such devices based on mesa structures of a layered high-temperature superconductor Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+δ. Two types of devices are considered containing either a conventional large single crystal or a whisker. We perform numerical simulations for various geometrical configurations and parameters and make a comparison with experimental data for the two types of devices. It is demonstrated that the structure and the geometry of both the superconductor and the electrodes play important roles. In crystal-based devices an overlap between the crystal and the electrode leads to appearance of a large parasitic capacitance, which shunts terahertz emission and prevents impedance matching with open space. The overlap is avoided in whisker-based devices. Furthermore, the whisker and the electrodes form a turnstile (crossed-dipole) antenna facilitating good impedance matching. This leads to more than an order of magnitude enhancement of the radiation power efficiency in whisker-based, compared to crystal-based, devices. These results are in good agreement with presented experimental data.

Millimeter-Wave-to-Terahertz Superconducting Plasmonic Waveguides for Integrated Nanophotonics at Cryogenic Temperatures

Plasmonics, as a rapidly growing research field, provides new pathways to guide and modulate highly confined light in the microwave-to-optical range of frequencies. We demonstrated a plasmonic slot waveguide, at the nanometer scale, based on the high-transition-temperature (T_c) superconductor Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+δ (BSCCO), to facilitate the manifestation of chip-scale millimeter wave (mm-wave)-to-terahertz (THz) integrated circuitry operating at cryogenic temperatures. We investigated the effect of geometrical parameters on the modal characteristics of the BSCCO plasmonic slot waveguide between 100 and 800 GHz. In addition, we investigated the thermal sensing of the modal characteristics of the nanoscale superconducting slot waveguide and showed that, at a lower frequency, the fundamental mode of the waveguide had a larger propagation length, a lower effective refractive index, and a strongly localized modal energy. Moreover, we found that our device offered a larger SPP propagation length and higher field confinement than the gold plasmonic waveguides at broad temperature ranges below BSCCO’s T_c. The proposed device can provide a new route toward realizing cryogenic low-loss photonic integrated circuitry at the nanoscale.

Study of Radiation Characteristics of Intrinsic Josephson Junction Terahertz Emitters with Different Thickness of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ Crystals

The radiation intensity from the intrinsic Josephson junction high-Tc superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ terahertz emitters (Bi2212-THz emitters) is one of the most important characteristics for application uses of the device. In principle, it would be expected to be improved with increasing the number of intrinsic Josephson junctions N in the emitters. In order to further improve the device characteristics, we have developed a stand alone type of mesa structures (SAMs) of Bi2212 crystals. Here, we understood the radiation characteristics of our SAMs more deeply, after we studied the radiation characteristics from three SAMs (S1, S2, and S3) with different thicknesses. Comparing radiation characteristics of the SAMs in which the number of intrinsic Josephson junctions are N∼ 1300 (S1), 2300 (S2), and 3100 (S3), respectively, the radiation intensity, frequency as well as the characteristics of the device working bath temperature are well understood. The strongest radiation of the order of few tens of microwatt was observed from the thickest SAM of S3. We discussed this feature through the N2-relationship and the radiation efficiency of a patch antenna. The thinner SAM of S1 can generate higher radiation frequencies than the thicker one of S3 due to the difference of the applied voltage per junctions limited by the heat-removal performance of the device structures. The observed features in this study are worthwhile designing Bi2212-THz emitters with better emission characteristics for many applications.

Optical Transistor for Amplification of Radiation in a Broadband Terahertz Domain

We propose a new type of optical transistor for a broadband amplification of terahertz radiation. It is made of a graphene-superconductor hybrid, where electrons and Cooper pairs couple by Coulomb forces. The transistor operates via the propagation of surface plasmons in both layers, and the origin of amplification is the quantum capacitance of graphene. It leads to terahertz waves amplification, the negative power absorption, and as a result, the system yields positive gain, and the hybrid acts like an optical transistor, operating with the terahertz light. It can, in principle, amplify even a whole spectrum of chaotic signals (or noise), which is required for numerous biological applications.