Externally pumped millimeter-wave Josephson-junction parametric amplifier

A unified theory of the singly and doubly degenerate Josephson-junction parametric amplifier is presented. Experiments with single junctions on both amplifier modes at frequencies 10, 35, and 70 GHz are discussed. Low-noise temperature (∼100 K, single sideband (SSB)) and reasonable gain (∼8 dB) were obtained at 35 GHz in the singly degenerate mode. On the basis of the theory and experiments, a general procedure for optimizing junction parameters is discussed and illustrated by the specific design of a 100-GHz amplifier.