We have observed intense, coherent, continuous and monochromatic electromagnetic (EM) emission at terahertz frequencies generated from a single crystalline mesa structure of the high-Tc superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ intrinsic Josephson junction system. The mesa is fabricated by the Argon-ion-milling and photolithography techniques on the cleaved surface of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ single crystal. The frequency, ν, of the EM radiation observed from the sample obeys simple relations: ν = c/nλ = c/2nw and ν = 2eV/hN, where c is the light velocity in vacuum, n the refractive index of a superconductor, λ the wave length of the EM emission in vacuum, w the shorter width of the mesa, V the voltage applied to the mesa, N the number of layers of intrinsic Josephson junctions, e and h are the elementary charge and the Planck constant, respectively. These two relations strongly imply that the mechanism of the emission is, firstly, due to the geometrical resonance of EM waves to the mesa like a cavity resonance occuring in the mesa structure, and forming standing waves as cavity resonance modes, and secondly, due to the ac-Josephson effect, which works coherently in all intrinsic Josephson junctions. The peculiar temperature dependence of the power intensity emitted form samples shows a broad maximum in a temperature region between 20 and 40 K, suggesting that the nonequilibrium effect plays an essential role for the emission of EM waves in this system. The estimated total power is significantly improved in comparison with the previous report [L. Ozyuzer et al., Science 318 (2007) 1291, K. Kadowaki, et al., Physica C 437-438 (2006) 111, I.E. Batov, et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 88 (2006) 262504], and reached as high as 5 μW from single mesa with w = 60 μm at 648 GHz, which enables us to use it for some of applications. So far, we succeeded in fabricating the mesa emitting EM waves up to 960 GHz in the fundamental mode in the w = 40 μm mesa, whereas the higher harmonics up to the 4-th order were observed, resulting in a frequency exceeding 2.5 THz. In sharp contrast to the previous reports [K. Kadowaki, et al., Physica C 437-438 (2006) 111, M.-H. Bae, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, (2007) 027002], all the present measurements were done in zero magnetic field. Lastly, a plausible theoretical model for the mechanism of emission is discussed.US-DoE contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357 and Japan Science and Technology Agency CREST projec

Characteristic features of terahertz radiation emitted from a rectangular mesa comprised stacked intrinsic Josephson junctions in the layered high-$T_{\text{c}}$ superconductor ${\text{Bi}}_2{\text{Sr}}_2{\text{CaCu}}_2{\text{O}}_{8+\delta }$ are reported. The emission with the total power of $\sim 5\mu \text{W}$ at 0.63 THz shows a characteristic spatial distribution reflecting the rectangular shape. The stability of the emission was measured for at least 20 min. and the power fluctuation was found to be less than 4%. Furthermore, the radiation is highly polarized linearly with a ratio of 50:1. All features, including the spectral purity narrower than 4 GHz at full width at half maximum, promise a stable, coherent, and continuous terahertz source for various applications.

Emission of terahertz (THz) electromagnetic (EM) waves from a high critical temperature ( T _c ) superconductor intrinsic Josephson junction (IJJ) is a new and promising candidate for practical applications of superconducting devices. From the engineering viewpoint, the IJJ THz source is competitive against the present semiconducting THz sources such as quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) and resonance tunnelling diode oscillators because of its broad tunable frequency range and ease of the fabrication process for the device. The emitted EM waves are considered to be coherent because the emission is yielded by synchronisation of thousand stacked IJJs consisting of the mesa device. This synchronisation is peculiar: the resonant frequency of each IJJ is distributed because the cross section of the mesa device is trapezoidal in shape. One of the key features of the synchronisation mechanism is the temperature inhomogeneity of the emitting device. In this topical review, we describe the recent progress in studies of IJJ THz sources with particular emphasis on the relevance of the temperature inhomogeneity to the synchronisation and the emission intensity. This review is of specific interest because the IJJ THz source shows the rich variety of functions due to self-heating which has always been a detrimental feature in the present superconducting devices. Moreover, the thermal managements used for IJJ THz sources will be common with those of other semiconducting devices such as QCLs. In addition, this review is to invite the readers into related research through the detailed descriptions of experimental procedures.

Terahertz radiation from the mesa structures of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ is detected in samples with thin electrodes <100 nm. In samples with thick electrodes ≃400 nm, neither radiations nor voltage jumps in current-voltage characteristics are detected. This suggests that the thin electrode helps excite the Josephson plasma oscillation as a result of the poor heat flow through the electrode. The shielding effect by the electrode is not essential. We consider that the local temperature rise is the origin of the synchronization of the phase kink for terahertz radiation.

Highly crystalline corundum structured α-(Ga_0.42Fe_0.58)₂O₃ alloy thin film showed magnetic properties at room temperature. Microstructure analysis of cross-sectional transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation and TEM energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy measurement indicated that different crystal phase could not be detected as well as there is no remarkable phase separating area, that is, Fe and Ga ions are distributed uniformly in the film. Magnetic measurements were performed on α-(Ga_1−xFe_x)₂O₃ (x = 0.24, 0.44, 0.58, 1.00) alloy thin films at 110 K. The induced magnetic moment per a Fe ion of α-(Ga_0.42Fe_0.58)₂O₃ at 5000 Oe is about 6 times larger than α-Fe₂O₃ thin film. Compared to the α-Fe₂O₃ thin films, the value of coercivity is also about 6 times in α-(Ga_0.42Fe_0.58)₂O₃, in contrast, there is no significant difference in value of coercivity of α-(Ga_1−xFe_x)₂O₃ (x = 0.24, 0.44, 1.00) thin films. These means that the origin of magnetism is not the separation region of α-Fe₂O₃ in α-(Ga_0.42Fe_0.58)₂O₃ thin film.