Study on Sub-THz Signal Input for Superconducting Electronic Devices(<Special Section>Innovative Superconducting Devices and Their Applications)

Development of ultrafast optical interfaces that can operate in sub-terahertz region is important to apply superconducting electronic devices to the high-end systems. We have performed several fundamental researches to realize the ultrafast optical input interface for superconducting electronic devices. Firstly, we observed optical response of amorphous Ge thin films, and the results indicated that an amorphous Ge photoconductive switch could stably operate in a terahertz frequency range as an optical-to-electrical signal converter in the low-temperature region below T_c of YBCO. Next, we have fabricated optical-to-electrical signal conversion system with photomixing technique, and we have demonstrated the generation and the detection of high frequency signals over 50GHz. Finally, we have observed optical responses of a Josephson vortex flow transistor under irradiation of femtosecond laser pulses, and the results suggeste that the device has high potential as an optical interface.