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Quantum-noise-limited microwave amplification using a graphene Josephson junction

Nature Nanotechnology volume 17, pages 1147–1152 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Josephson junctions (JJs) and their tunable properties, including their nonlinearities, play an important role in superconducting qubits and amplifiers. JJs together with the circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture form many key components of quantum information processing1. In quantum circuits, low-noise amplification of feeble microwave signals is essential, and Josephson parametric amplifiers (JPAs)2 are the widely used devices. The existing JPAs are based on Al–AlOx–Al tunnel junctions realized in a superconducting quantum interference device geometry, where magnetic flux is the knob for tuning the frequency. Recent experimental realizations of two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals JJs3,4,5 provide an opportunity to implement various circuit quantum electrodynamics devices6,7,8 with the added advantage of tuning the junction properties and the operating point using a gate potential. While other components of a possible 2D van der Waals circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture have been demonstrated, a quantum-noise-limited amplifier, an essential component, has not been realized, to the best of our knowledge. Here we implement a quantum-noise-limited JPA using a graphene JJ, that has a linear resonance gate tunability of 3.5 GHz. We report 24 dB amplification with 10 MHz bandwidth and −130 dBm saturation power, a performance on par with the best single-junction JPAs2,9. Importantly, our gate-tunable JPA works in the quantum-limited noise regime, which makes it an attractive option for highly sensitive signal processing. Our work has implications for novel bolometers; the low heat capacity of graphene together with JJ nonlinearity can result in an extremely sensitive microwave bolometer embedded inside a quantum-noise-limited amplifier. In general, this work will open up the exploration of scalable device architectures of 2D van der Waals materials by integrating a sensor with the quantum amplifier.

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Fig. 1: Parametric amplification scheme and its implementation in a graphene JJ-based LC resonator.
Fig. 2: Gate tunability of the switching current (Ic) and junction inductance (LJ).
Fig. 3: Nonlinear phase diagram (experimental and simulated).
Fig. 4: Gr-JPA as a quantum-limited amplifier.

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Data availability

Source data are provided with this paper. The experimental data used in the figures of the main text are also available in Zenodo with the identifier https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6966047. Additional data related to this study are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

Code availability

The code that supports the findings of this study is available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank V. Singh, S. Gueron, Z. Dou, H. Bouchiat, P. C. Adak, S. Sinha, S. Ghosh and S. Hazra for helpful discussions and comments. We thank J. Saha, S. L. D. Varma, K. Maji, A. Bhattacharjee, G. Bothara and S. Das for experimental assistance. We acknowledge Nanomission grant SR/NM/NS-45/2016 and the DST SUPRA SPR/2019/001247 grant, along with the Department of Atomic Energy of Government of India (12-R&D-TFR-5.10-0100) for support. We also acknowledge support from the Department of Science and Technology, India, via the QuEST programme. Preparation of hBN single crystals was supported by the Elemental Strategy Initiative conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (grant number JPMXP0112101001) and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI (grant numbers 19H05790 and JP20H00354).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India

    Joydip Sarkar, Kishor V. Salunkhe, Supriya Mandal, Subhamoy Ghatak, Alisha H. Marchawala, Ipsita Das, R. Vijay & Mandar M. Deshmukh

  2. Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan

    Kenji Watanabe

  3. International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan

    Takashi Taniguchi

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  1. Joydip Sarkar
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Contributions

J.S. fabricated the devices. J.S. and K.V.S. took the measurements and analysed the data. S.G., A.H.M., I.D. and S.M. assisted in developing the device fabrication method and experimental set-up. K.W. and T.T. grew the hBN crystals. R.V. led the microwave measurements. J.S., K.V.S., R.V. and M.M.D. wrote the manuscript with input from all authors. M.M.D. supervised the project.

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Correspondence to R. Vijay or Mandar M. Deshmukh.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Nature Nanotechnology thanks Kin Chung Fong and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Supplementary Information

Supplementary Figs. 1–13 and Sections I–IX.

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Source data for Fig. 2.

Source Data Fig. 3

Source data for Fig. 3.

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Sarkar, J., Salunkhe, K.V., Mandal, S. et al. Quantum-noise-limited microwave amplification using a graphene Josephson junction. Nat. Nanotechnol. 17, 1147–1152 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-022-01223-z

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