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A Thin-Film Cryotron Suitable For Use as an Ultra-Low-Temperature Switch

Published

Author(s)

Peter J. Lowell, John A. Mates, William B. Doriese, Gene C. Hilton, Kelsey M. Morgan, Daniel S. Swetz, Joel N. Ullom, Daniel R. Schmidt

Abstract

Low-temperature superconducting circuits have become important in modern science. However, there are presently no high-current-capacity switches with low power dissipation for sub-Kelvin operation. One candidate for a sub-Kelvin switch is the cryotron, a device in which the superconductivity of a wire is suppressed with a magnetic field. Here, we demonstrate a cryotron switch suitable for sub-Kelvin temperatures. In its on state, the maximum device current is about 900 μA. The device is switched to its off state with 1.8 mA and has a leakage current less than 500 nA. The transition between the on and off states of the device is faster than 200 ns; this measurement is limited by the speed of our apparatus. Finally, we present low-temperature applications for our cryotron such as a single-pole, double-throw switch.
Citation
Applied Physics Letters
Volume
109
Issue
14

Citation

Lowell, P. , Mates, J. , Doriese, W. , Hilton, G. , Morgan, K. , Swetz, D. , Ullom, J. and Schmidt, D. (2016), A Thin-Film Cryotron Suitable For Use as an Ultra-Low-Temperature Switch, Applied Physics Letters, [online], https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4964345 (Accessed December 10, 2024)

Issues

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Created October 6, 2016, Updated November 10, 2018