Conference item
Design of a kinetic-inductance impedance-matched parametric amplifier using an inverted microstrip architecture
- Abstract:
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Josephson-junction-based parametric amplifiers (JPAs) are key enabling technologies in superconducting quantum electronics, supporting applications ranging from dark-matter detection to quantum-computing readout. However, conventional JPAs are intrinsically narrowband, motivating the development of broadband architectures such as impedance-matched parametric amplifiers (IMPAs), which enhance bandwidth through the incorporation of auxiliary passive resonators.
In this work, we present the design and fabrication of a three-pole kinetic-inductance impedance-matched parametric amplifier (KIMPA) based on a niobium titanium nitride (NbTiN) nonlinear nanowire and implemented using an inverted microstrip architecture. The amplifier is synthesised using the multipole filter-design framework of Naaman and Aumentado and targets a 10% fractional bandwidth centred at 6 GHz with 20 dB gain. The device employs a multilayer architecture consisting of a 30 nm NbTiN wiring layer, a 150 nm amorphoussilicon dielectric layer, and a 200 nm niobium sky plane, enabling compact parallel-plate capacitors and improved fabrication robustness compared with conventional coplanar-waveguide implementations.
The design methodology is presented from the graph-based filter-synthesis model through circuit-level implementation and physical layout generation. Harmonic-balance simulations predict approximately 20 dB gain across a 6.0–6.4 GHz operating band, demonstrating the feasibility of broadband kinetic-inductance parametric amplification in an inverted microstrip platform. Fabricated devices have been completed and are currently being prepared for cryogenic characterisation.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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- Files:
-
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(Preview, Accepted manuscript, pdf, 926.3KB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1117/12.3101527
Authors
+ European Commission
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- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/00k4n6c32
- Grant:
- 101093934
- Programme:
- Horizon-Infra-2022-Tech-01 programme RADIOBLOCKS
+ Leverhulme Trust
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- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/012mzw131
- Grant:
- VP1-2024-022
+ European Research Council
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- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/0472cxd90
- Grant:
- 101169947
- 803862
+ Science and Technology Facilities Council
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- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/057g20z61
- Grant:
- ST/Y002210/1
- ST/Y004973/1
- Publisher:
- Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers
- Host title:
- Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy XIII
- Article number:
- 141561U
- Series:
- Proceedings of SPIE
- Series number:
- 14156
- Publication date:
- 2026-08-20
- Acceptance date:
- 2026-06-17
- Event title:
- International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2026
- Event location:
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Event website:
- https://spie.org/conferences-and-exhibitions/astronomical-telescopes-and-instrumentation
- Event start date:
- 2026-07-05
- Event end date:
- 2026-07-10
- DOI:
- ISSN:
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0277-786X
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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2436284
- Local pid:
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pubs:2436284
- Deposit date:
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2026-06-21
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Tan and Day
- Copyright date:
- 2026
- Rights statement:
- (2026) Published by SPIE.
- Notes:
- The author accepted manuscript (AAM) of this paper has been made available under the University of Oxford's Open Access Publications Policy, and a CC BY public copyright licence has been applied.
- Licence:
- CC Attribution (CC BY)
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