Measurement, Simulation, and Design of the Dispersion-Engineered Traveling-Wave Kinetic Inductance Amplifier

• Main Author: Chaudhuri, Saptarshi
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: Chaudhuri, Saptarshi (2013) Measurement, Simulation, and Design of the Dispersion-Engineered Traveling-Wave Kinetic Inductance Amplifier. Senior thesis (Major), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/KTZD-SQ44. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:02132018-103954976 <https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:02132018-103954976>

Recently, Eom et al. [1 J proposed a new concept for a low-noise cryogenic amplifier known as a Dispersion-Engineered Traveling-Wave Kinetic Inductance (DTWKI) amplifier. This device exploits the nonlinear kinetic inductance of superconducting thin-film nitrides to achieve high gain-bandwidth, near quantum-limited noise, and excellent dynamic range. In this thesis, we describe recent progress toward an experimental realization of the DTWKI; in particular, we focus on improvements in the areas of gain-bandwidth and noise performance. We describe a numerical model of the amplifier, and use this model to interpret experimental results and provide insight into the effects of dispersion-engineering on gain processes. Lastly, based on experimental results and model output, we propose some improvements to the DTWKI device.