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Title: Critical current oscillations of elliptical Josephson junctions with single-domain ferromagnetic layers

Abstract

We report that josephson junctions containing ferromagnetic layers are of considerable interest for the development of practical cryogenic memory and superconducting qubits. Such junctions exhibit a ground-state phase shift of π for certain ranges of ferromagnetic layer thicknesses. We present studies of Nb based micron-scale elliptically shaped Josephson junctions containing ferromagnetic barriers of Ni81Fe19 or Ni65Fe15Co20. By applying an external magnetic field, the critical current of the junctions is found to follow characteristic Fraunhofer patterns and display sharp switching behavior suggestive of single-domain magnets. The high quality of the Fraunhofer patterns enables us to extract the maximum value of the critical current even when the peak is shifted significantly outside the range of the data due to the magnetic moment of the ferromagnetic layer. The maximum value of the critical current oscillates as a function of the ferromagnetic barrier thickness, indicating transitions in the phase difference across the junction between values of zero and π. Lastly, we compare the data to previous work and to models of the 0-π transitions based on existing theories.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [3];  [3]
  1. Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States). Department of Physics and Astronomy
  2. Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, Baltimore, MD (United States)
  3. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sandia National Laboratories, null
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); IARPA
OSTI Identifier:
1411619
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1398292
Report Number(s):
SAND-2017-12975J
Journal ID: ISSN 0021-8979; 659178; TRN: US1800255
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC04-94AL85000; NA0003525
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Applied Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 122; Journal Issue: 13; Journal ID: ISSN 0021-8979
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; Superconductivity; Josephson Junction; Ferromagnetism; Cryogenic Memory; Proximity Effect

Citation Formats

Glick, Joseph A., Khasawneh, Mazin A., Niedzielski, Bethany M., Loloee, Reza, Pratt, W. P., Birge, Norman O., Gingrich, E. C., Kotula, P. G., and Missert, N. Critical current oscillations of elliptical Josephson junctions with single-domain ferromagnetic layers. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4989392.
Glick, Joseph A., Khasawneh, Mazin A., Niedzielski, Bethany M., Loloee, Reza, Pratt, W. P., Birge, Norman O., Gingrich, E. C., Kotula, P. G., & Missert, N. Critical current oscillations of elliptical Josephson junctions with single-domain ferromagnetic layers. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4989392
Glick, Joseph A., Khasawneh, Mazin A., Niedzielski, Bethany M., Loloee, Reza, Pratt, W. P., Birge, Norman O., Gingrich, E. C., Kotula, P. G., and Missert, N. Fri . "Critical current oscillations of elliptical Josephson junctions with single-domain ferromagnetic layers". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4989392. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1411619.
@article{osti_1411619,
title = {Critical current oscillations of elliptical Josephson junctions with single-domain ferromagnetic layers},
author = {Glick, Joseph A. and Khasawneh, Mazin A. and Niedzielski, Bethany M. and Loloee, Reza and Pratt, W. P. and Birge, Norman O. and Gingrich, E. C. and Kotula, P. G. and Missert, N.},
abstractNote = {We report that josephson junctions containing ferromagnetic layers are of considerable interest for the development of practical cryogenic memory and superconducting qubits. Such junctions exhibit a ground-state phase shift of π for certain ranges of ferromagnetic layer thicknesses. We present studies of Nb based micron-scale elliptically shaped Josephson junctions containing ferromagnetic barriers of Ni81Fe19 or Ni65Fe15Co20. By applying an external magnetic field, the critical current of the junctions is found to follow characteristic Fraunhofer patterns and display sharp switching behavior suggestive of single-domain magnets. The high quality of the Fraunhofer patterns enables us to extract the maximum value of the critical current even when the peak is shifted significantly outside the range of the data due to the magnetic moment of the ferromagnetic layer. The maximum value of the critical current oscillates as a function of the ferromagnetic barrier thickness, indicating transitions in the phase difference across the junction between values of zero and π. Lastly, we compare the data to previous work and to models of the 0-π transitions based on existing theories.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4989392},
journal = {Journal of Applied Physics},
number = 13,
volume = 122,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}

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