High T c superconducting film as a fast nonlinear switch for noise discrimination in digital circuits

Abstract
Measurements of fast nonlinear switching of a high Tc superconducting thin film at 70 K between the dissipative state (induced by an electrical current) and superconducting state are reported. System rise and fall times are measured to be about 1 ns and are limited by the parasitic components of the electrical circuitry. A novel scheme for noise discrimination in digital circuits using this switching has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated for speeds exceeding 200 Mb/s. This method allows significant reduction of amplitude noise and improvement of signal‐to‐noise ratio in digital circuits.