Multiple junction biasing of superconducting tunnel junction detectors

We describe a biasing scheme for single-photon detectors based on superconducting tunnel junctions. It replaces a single detector junction with a circuit of three junctions and achieves biasing of a detector junction at subgap currents without the use of an external magnetic field. The biasing occurs through the nonlinear interaction of the three junctions, which we demonstrate through numerical simulation. This nonlinear state is numerically stable against external fluctuations and is compatible with high-fidelity electrical readout of the photon-induced current. The elimination of the external magnetic field potentially increases the capability of these types of photon detectors and eases constraints involved in the fabrication of large detector arrays. © 2005 American Institute of Physics. DOI: 10.1063/1.1890467