Photonic-Crystal Josephson Traveling-Wave Parametric Amplifier

Abstract

A microwave amplifier combining noise performances as close as possible to the quantum limit with large bandwidth and high saturation power is highly desirable for many solid-state quantum technologies. Here, we introduce a new traveling-wave parametric amplifier based on superconducting quantum interference devices. It displays a 3-GHz bandwidth, a -100-dBm saturation (1-dB compression) point and added noise near the quantum limit. Compared to the previous state of the art, it is an order of magnitude more compact, its characteristic impedance is in situ tunable, and its fabrication process requires only two lithography steps. The key is the engineering of a gap in the dispersion relation of the transmission line. This is obtained using a periodic modulation of the SQUID size, similarly to what is done with photonic crystals. Moreover, we provide a new theoretical treatment to describe the nontrivial interplay between nonlinearity and such periodicity. Our approach provides a path to cointegration with other quantum devices such as qubits given the low footprint and easy fabrication of our amplifier.