Superconducting Low-Inductance Undulatory Galvanometer Microwave Amplifier

TL;DR

This paper introduces a superconducting microwave amplifier using the SLUG device, demonstrating significant gain at microwave frequencies and modeling its performance with Josephson junction dynamics.

Contribution

The paper presents the first implementation of a SLUG-based microwave amplifier with detailed modeling and performance measurements at millikelvin temperatures.

Findings

Achieved 25 dB gain at 3 GHz and 15 dB at 9 GHz.

Performance aligns with Josephson junction phase dynamics model.

Projected improvements include higher gain, broader bandwidth, and quantum-limited noise.

Abstract

We describe a microwave amplifier based on the Superconducting Low-inductance Undulatory Galvanometer (SLUG). The SLUG is embedded in a microstrip resonator, and the signal current is injected directly into the device loop. Measurements at 30 mK show gains of 25 dB at 3 GHz and 15 dB at 9 GHz. Amplifier performance is well described by a simple numerical model based on the Josephson junction phase dynamics. We expect optimized devices based on high critical current junctions to achieve gain greater than 15 dB, bandwidth of several hundred MHz, and added noise of order one quantum in the frequency range of 5-10 GHz.