A quantum standard for sampled electrical measurements - main goals and first results of the EMRP project Q-WAVE

Josephson voltage standards are well established for use at dc and low-frequency ac voltages. The increasing demand i) to provide traceability for arbitrary waveforms, ii) to extend the range of use to higher frequencies, and iii) to improve the accuracy is being addressed in the project Q-WAVE, which is jointly funded by the European Union and the participating countries within the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP). Here, sampling measurements and procedures using binary-divided 1 V and 10 V arrays are investigated. In addition, a quantum-based analogue-to-digital converter for direct measurements of arbitrary waveforms is under development. It will contain several Josephson arrays in series biased by a pulse drive based on opto-electronics, in order to increase the output voltage.