Instabilities in superconducting tunnel junctions in different thermal environments

Journal Article · Sun May 15 04:00:00 EDT 1983 · Appl. Phys. Lett.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.93782· OSTI ID:6224814

Adler, J G; Will, T A

Instabilities in superconducting tunnel junctions have been studied in three environments: low pressure He gas, normal liquid He I, and superfluid He II. It is demonstrated that the effect arises at a bias voltage V/sub 0/ where junction dissipation is sufficient to drive a region of the electrode(s) normal. The transition is accompanied by a small excess current, which is due to the appearance of electrode resistance and junction heating. For Pb electrode junctions immersed in liquid He the critical junction dissipation marks the outset of film boiling, which shows up as excessive noise in the tunneling curves. This critical heat flux, approx. =1 W/cm/sup 2/ at 4.2 K, limits the useful energy range for tunneling spectroscopy and leads to catastrophic burnout of high density Josephson arrays.

• Research Organization: Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2J1
• OSTI ID: 6224814
• Journal Information: Appl. Phys. Lett.; (United States), Journal Name: Appl. Phys. Lett.; (United States) Vol. 42:10; ISSN APPLA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

420201* -- Engineering-- Cryogenic Equipment & Devices
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BOILING
DATA
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRIC HEATING
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRODES
ELEMENTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLUIDS
GASES
HEATING
HELIUM
HELIUM 4
HELIUM II
HELIUM ISOTOPES
INFORMATION
INSTABILITY
ISOTOPES
JOSEPHSON JUNCTIONS
JOULE HEATING
JUNCTIONS
LEAD
LIGHT NUCLEI
LIQUIDS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METALS
NOISE
NONMETALS
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMA HEATING
QUANTUM FLUIDS
RARE GASES
RESISTANCE HEATING
STABLE ISOTOPES
SUPERCONDUCTING JUNCTIONS
SUPERFLUIDITY
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
TUNNEL EFFECT