Efficient Fabrication of Intrinsic-Josephson-Junction Terahertz Oscillators with Greatly Reduced Self-Heating Effects

© 2015 American Physical Society. The intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) in the high-Tc superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (Bi2212) are shown to have great potential for the construction of an oscillator emitting in the terahertz-frequency f regime. However, earlier devices with Bi2212 substrates exhibit strong self-heating effects detrimental to their operation and limiting the maximum f to approximately 1 THz. Here we describe an efficient fabrication procedure for a stand-alone-mesa IJJ terahertz oscillator with considerably reduced self-heating effects, greatly expanding the tunability and maximum value of f, potentially even to 15 THz. Their typical current-voltage characteristics, radiation tunability and power, and some practical uses are also presented.