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The paper reports on recent developments in a new technology process in LTS implementation to fabricate intrinsically shunted tunnel junctions. The process has been realized in SINIS multilayer thin-film technology. In various test series, circuits containing a large variety of single junctions and junction arrays of different contact areas and sizes were fabricated and measured. By variation of the oxidation parameters the fabrication process has been optimized for application in integrated circuits operating in RSFQ impulse logic. The junction parameter values realized for the critical current density range to up to about , those for the characteristic voltage to up to about . The junctions show nearly non-hysteretic current-voltage characteristics; the intra-wafer parameter spread is below 10%. The junctions realized fulfil the requirements imposed for digital RSFQ circuit operation at clock frequencies in the lower GHz frequency range.

We demonstrate that shunting of Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor (S-I-S) Josephson junctions by Superconductor-Insulator-Normal metal (S-I-N) structures having pronounced nonlinear I-V characteristics can remarkably modify the Josephson dynamics. In the regime of Josephson generation the phase behaves as an overdamped coordinate, while in the superconducting state the damping and current noise are strikingly small, that is vitally important for application of such junctions for readout and control of Josephson qubits. Superconducting Nb/AlOx/Nb junction shunted by Nb/AlOx/AuPd junction of S-I-N type was fabricated and, in agreement with our model, exhibited non-hysteretic I-V characteristics at temperatures down to at least 1.4 K.

Within the framework of the microscopic model of tunneling, we modeled the behavior of the Josephson junction shunted by the superconductor-insulator-normal-metal ͑SIN͒ tunnel junction. The electromagnetic impedance of the SIN junction includes both the frequency-dependent damping and reactance, which affect the circuit dynamics. We calculated the dc I-V curves and transient characteristics and show their differences to the characteristics obtained within the simpler models. The correct operation of the basic single-flux-quantum circuits, i.e., the Josephson transmission line and the toggle flip-flop, based on such SIN-shunted Josephson junctions with small damping at low frequencies, has also been modeled.

All-aluminum Josephson junctions with high-transparency barriers were fabricated using the shadow-evaporation technique and measured at low temperatures, T≈25mK. Due to the high junction transparency, the IV characteristics showed only small hysteresis with a retrapping-to-switching current ratio of up to 80%. The observed critical currents were as large as 80%-100% of the Ambegaokar-Baratoff values. High barrier quality was confirmed by the low subgap leakage currents in the quasiparticle branches, which makes the low hysteretic Al junctions promising for application in integrated rapid single-flux quantum - qubit circuitry.

The reduction of the critical current density in rapid single-flux quantum (RSFQ) circuits enables new application fields, like quantum computing and photonic detector readout. The low current density fabrication process creates new design challenges, such as lower stability against thermal fluctuations, violation of the lumped elements condition for microstrip inductances and increased sensitivity to the technological spread. To overcome these issues, we suggest a passive phase shifter as a promising alternative technique for superconductive phase dropping in the RSFQ electronics. Here, we study experimentally their applicability in high-speed RSFQ digital circuits. Conclusions are drawn about the impact of the passive phase shifters on the complexity, the speed and the bit error rate of the investigated RSFQ circuits. We demonstrate the successful operation of different circuits with implemented passive phase shifters at low and high speeds.