Specific capacitance of josephson tunnel junctions

Abstract

The specific capacitance of several types of Josephson tunnel junctions has been measured by observing resonances in lightly-damped 2-junction interferometers. The capacitance was calculated using the resonance voltage, obtained by analyzing steps in the I-V characteristics, and the interferometer inductance, which was measured directly by the injection of a control current. Using this technique, the specific capacitance Cs was determined for tunnel junctions with Pb-In-Au alloy base electrodes and Pb-Bi counterelectrodes, as well as for junctions made on Nb films with Pb-In-Au counterelectrodes. In both cases, barriers were produced by rf plasma oxidation. Junctions with Josephson current densities jy between 200 and 5000 A/cm2 were investigated. It was found that 1/C, decreased with log j1, and that at jl = 1000 A/cm2, C, was 4.2±0.3 μF/cm2 for the Pb-alloy junctions and 13.4+1 μF/cm2 for the Nb junctions. These results are discussed in relation to available data on oxide thickness and dielectric constant. © 1981 IEEE