CRYOGENIC PLATFORM FOR JOSEPHSON SWITCHING MEASUREMENTS
Abstract
CRYOGENIC PLATFORM FOR JOSEPSuperconducting digital circuits feature extremely fast speeds, low power consumption, and low noise, enabling performance that is unobtainable by any other technology. Because these circuits are based on superconductors and the quantization of magnetic flux, they require operation in a cryogenic environment at temperatures below 4 Kelvin, and due to the high clock speeds obtainable with rapid single-flux quantum logic, require microwave frequency input and output lines. At the core of superconducting digital logic is the Josephson junction - a weak link between two superconductors. Junctions are characterized by a critical current, allowing current to pass when the current is below a threshold value, and switching to a normal (non-superconducting) state when the current exceeds the threshold value. This switching event is an important element of superconducting digital circuits, yet the influences of thermal noise, external drives, and ancillary circuitry on the switching dynamics are poorly understood. This proposal seeks funding to construct a stateof- the-art testing apparatus to examine Josephson switching behavior and to harness our improved understanding of Josephson switching to improve superconducting digital circuitry. The testing apparatus will include a closed cycle refrigerator capable of cooling the samples to temperatures below 4 Kelvin, a 40-line electrical insert for connecting to superconducting integrated circuits, low-noise programable current sources, microwave sources, amplifiers, and digitization hardware for data analysis.HSON SWITCHING MEASUREMENTS
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 29, 2017
- Source ID
- N000141712969
Entities
People
- Kater Murch
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- Washington University in St. Louis