Advances in High-Tc single flux quantum device technologies

We have developed the fabrication process, the circuit design technology, and the cryopackaging technology for high-T-c single flux quantum (SFQ) devices with the aim of application to an analog-to-digital (AID) converter circuit for future wireless communication and a sampler system for high-speed measurements. Reproducibility of fabricating ramp-edge Josephson junctions with IcRn products above 1mV at 40 K and small I, spreads on a superconducting groundplane was much improved by employing smooth multilayer structures and optimizing the junction fabrication process. The separated base-electrode layout (SBL) method that suppresses the J(c) spread for interface-modified junctions in circuits was developed. This method enabled low-frequency logic operations of various elementary SFQ circuits with relatively wide bias current margins and operation of a toggle-flip-flop (T-FF) above 200 GHz at 40 K. Operation of a 1:2 demultiplexer. one of main elements of a hybrid-type Sigma-Delta A/D converter circuit, was also demonstrated. We developed a sampler system in which a sampler circuit with a potential bandwidth over 100 GHz was cooled by a compact stirling cooler, and waveform observation experiments confirmed the actual system bandwidth well over 50 GHz.