On-chip coil-integrated STJ using the persistent superconducting current for photon detectors

• Published in: IEEE transactions on applied superconductivity Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 1132 - 1135
• Main Authors: Kikuchi, Katsuya, Taino, Tohru, Nanme, Masaki, Nakagawa, Hiroshi, Aoyagi, Masahiro, Sato, Hiroshi, Akoh, Hiroshi, Iizuka, Takeshi, Myoren, Hiroaki, Takada, Susumu, Maehata, Keisuke, Ishibashi, Kenji, Sato, Hiromi, Ikeda, Tokihiro, Otani, Chiko, Takizawa, Yoshiyuki, Oku, Takayuki, Kawai, Kazuhiko, Miyasaka, Hiromasa, Shimizu, Hirohiko M., Kato, Hiroshi, Watanabe, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.06.2003; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Connection and protection apparatus; Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering; Electrodes; Electromagnets; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Fabrication; Josephson effect; Josephson junctions; Magnetic fields; Niobium; Optoelectronic devices; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Shape; Superconducting coils; Superconducting devices; Various equipment and components; X-ray detectors; External field; High resolution; photon detector; persistent superconducting current; Josephson junction; Measurement sensor; Gaussian distribution; On-chip coil-integrated superconducting tunnel junction; Chip; Photodetector; Switching; Energy gap; Josephson effect; Switching conditions; High energy; Manufacturing process; Energy resolution; Superconducting tunnel junction; Optoelectronic device; Distribution function; Tunnel junction; Magnetic field
• ISSN: 1051-8223; 1558-2515
• DOI: 10.1109/TASC.2003.814173

A superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) is very attractive for use in high-energy-resolution photon detectors because of its small energy gap. To detect a single photon, the Josephson current of the STJ has had to be suppressed by an external magnetic field. We demonstrated an on-chip coil-integrated STJ photon detector, which excludes the external magnetic field, allowing a small device size. A normal-distribution function shape was adopted for the superconducting electrodes, which makes the magnetic field supplied to the STJ small. We devise a new superconducting photon detector by combining the above techniques. A new Josephson switching gate is also integrated on the same detector chip in order to drive an on-chip integrated coil by a persistent superconducting current. This behavior was confirmed experimentally using the technology of the fabrication process of the Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb Josephson tunnel junction.