The root-mean-square (rms) output voltage of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Josephson arbitrary waveform synthesizer (JAWS) has been doubled from 1 V to a record 2 V by combining two new 1 V chips on a cryocooler. This higher voltage will improve calibrations of ac thermal voltage converters and precision voltage measurements that require state-of-the-art quantum accuracy, stability, and signal-to-noise ratio. We achieved this increase in output voltage by using four on-chip Wilkinson dividers and eight inner/outer dc blocks, which enable biasing of eight Josephson junction (JJ) arrays with high-speed inputs from only four high-speed pulse generator channels. This approach halves the number of pulse generator channels required in future JAWS systems. We also implemented on-chip superconducting interconnects between JJ arrays, which reduces systematic errors and enables a new modular chip package. Finally, we demonstrate a new technique for measuring and visualizing the operating current range that reduces the measurement time by almost two orders of magnitude and reveals the relationship between distortion in the output spectrum and output pulse sequence errors.

A value for the Boltzmann constant was measured electronically using an improved version of the Johnson Noise Thermometry (JNT) system at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), USA. This system is different from prior ones, including those from the 2011 determination at NIST and both 2015 and 2017 determinations at the National Institute of Metrology (NIM), China. As in all three previous determinations, the main contribution to the combined uncertainty is the statistical uncertainty in the noise measurement, which is mitigated by accumulating and integrating many weeks of cross-correlated measured data. The second major uncertainty contribution also still results from variations in the frequency response of the ratio of the measured spectral noise of the two noise sources, the sense resistor at the triple-point of water and the superconducting quantum voltage noise source. In this paper, we briefly describe the major differences between our JNT system and previous systems, in particular the input circuit and approach we used to match the frequency responses of the two noise sources. After analyzing and integrating 50 d of accumulated data, we determined a value: J K⁻¹ with a relative standard uncertainty of and relative offset from the CODATA 2014 recommended value.

This paper presents a full characterization of a Dual Josephson Impedance Bridge (DJIB) at frequencies up to 80 kHz by using the DJIB to compare the best available impedance standards that are (a) directly traceable to the quantum Hall effect, (b) used as part of international impedance comparisons, or (c) believed to have calculable frequency dependence. The heart of the system is a dual Josephson Arbitrary Waveform Synthesizer (JAWS) source that offers unprecedented flexibility in high-precision impedance measurements. The JAWS sources allow a single bridge to compare impedances with arbitrary ratios and phase angles in the complex plane. The uncertainty budget shows that both the traditional METAS bridges and the DJIB have comparable uncertainties in the kilohertz range. This shows that the advantages of the DJIB, including the flexibility which allows the comparison of arbitrary impedances, the wide frequency range, and the automated balancing procedure, are obtained without compromising the measurement uncertainties. These results demonstrate that this type of instrument can considerably simplify the realization and maintenance of the various impedance scales. In addition, the DJIB is a very sensitive tool for investigating the frequency-dependent systematic-errors that can occur in impedance construction and in the voltage provided by the JAWS source at frequencies greater than 10 kHz.

We review our development of Josephson-junction-based programmable reference sources to synthesize spectrally-pure waveforms with quantum-based voltage accuracy for characterizing and improving future communication devices and systems. The goal is to provide sources that together span the entire radio frequency (RF) band, equivalent to seven orders of magnitude in frequency (20 kHz to 300 GHz). To synthesize waveforms in the microwave frequency band, we are extending the existing Josephson arbitrary waveform synthesizer (JAWS) technology used for ac voltage metrology at audio frequencies (<20 kHz). Using new microwave circuits and experimental techniques, we demonstrate JAWS-based synthesis of single-tone waveforms at 1 GHz, with -49 dBm output power and 79 dBc spur-free dynamic range (SFDR). To synthesize waveforms in the millimeter-wave frequency band, we are exploiting single flux quantum (SFQ) superconducting digital technology to design circuits that amplify SFQ pulses using a network of pulse splitters. With our initial SFQ-based circuit, we demonstrate synthesis of a 4 GHz sine wave with -74 dBm output power and 70 dBc SFDR.

We synthesize single- and multiple-tone waveforms at gigahertz frequencies from arrays of Josephson junctions and demonstrate their quantum-locked operation over a range of experimental input parameters. We first use a lumped-element circuit to synthesize 1 and 2 GHz single-tone waveforms with -71 dBm output power and in-band spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) of -66 dBc. We then introduce a narrow-band diplexer circuit and synthesize a 1 GHz sinusoid with higher power (-49 dBm) and in-band SFDR of -79 dBc. To demonstrate the spectrally selective power- and phase-programmability of the diplexer circuit, we also synthesize multisine waveforms with total waveform power of -51 dBm. The spectral purity of the reported waveforms is limited by the room-temperature electronics rather than by the quantized pulse-based synthesis technique. This article provides direction for future circuit designs and uncovers the main factors that must be addressed to achieve higher power, higher spectral purity, and improved output power accuracy. The reported results represent significant progress towards a JAWS-based primary RF reference source that synthesizes programmable, quantum-referenced, low-distortion signals at gigahertz frequencies.