30.12.2012 Views

Superconducting Technology Assessment - nitrd

Superconducting Technology Assessment - nitrd

Superconducting Technology Assessment - nitrd

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

The time-dependent behavior of this equivalent circuit is given by summing the three current components illustrated<br />

in Figure 1, resulting in a non-linear differential equation,<br />

(1)<br />

The first term represents a parametric Josephson inductance whose value scales as L J = Φ 0/2πI C. Damping is<br />

controlled by the parameter β C =R 2 C/L J, the ratio of the junction time constants RC and L J/R.<br />

In digital circuits, JJs operate in two different modes: voltage-state (latching) and single flux quantum (non-latching).<br />

Figure 2 illustrates the static current-voltage characteristics of these two device modes, which are also characterized<br />

as under-damped and over-damped, respectively. JJs are always current-driven at zero-voltage, so their behavior<br />

depends on their response to the external current. In Figure 2a, the I-V characteristics are multi-valued and<br />

hysteretic, such that the junction switches from V = 0 to V g at I = I C. If the current is reduced near zero, the junction<br />

resets in the zero-voltage state. This provides a two-state logic voltage that was the basis of the IBM and Japanese<br />

computing projects in the 1970’s and 1980’s. If the junction is shunted by a small resistor, the I-V characteristic is<br />

single-valued as shown in Figure 2b. The voltage can increase continuously from zero as the current increases above I C.<br />

I(mA)<br />

The early work exemplified by the IBM and the Japanese Josephson computer projects exclusively used voltagestate<br />

logic, where the junction switching is hysteretic from the zero-voltage to the voltage state. This necessitated<br />

an AC power system in order to reset the junction into the zero-voltage state. The speed of this technology was<br />

limited to about 1 GHz.<br />

148<br />

0.2<br />

0.1<br />

Underdamped Junction<br />

-------------------------<br />

V (mV)<br />

I (mA)<br />

0.0<br />

0.0<br />

0 2 4 0<br />

Figure 2a. DC electrical characteristics of voltage-state<br />

latching junctions<br />

0.2<br />

Overdamped Junction<br />

0.1 ----------------------------- Ic �<br />

V (mV)<br />

Figure 2b. DC electrical characteristics of SFQ non-latching junctions<br />

1

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!