System and method for array diagnostics in superconducting integrated circuit

• US 10,222,416 B1
• Filed: 04/13/2016
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hypres, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hypres, Inc.
• Inventors: Inamdar, Amol, Ren, Jie, Amparo, Denis
• Primary Examiner(s): Hammond, Crystal L
• Application Number:
  US15/097,930
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31712 Input or output aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31727 Clock circuits aspects, e.g. test clock circuit details, timing aspects for signal generation, circuits for testing clocks G01R31/31725 takes precedence; concerning scan test G01R31/318552, for tester hardware G01R31/31922
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3181 Functional testing G01R31/3177 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/195 using superconductive devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 60/0912 of Josephson-effect devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 60/12 Josephson-effect devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 69/00 Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one superconducting element covered by group H10N60/00

Abstract

A superconducting circuit is disclosed for fast digital readout of on-chip diagnostics in an array of devices in an integrated circuit. The digital readout comprises a digital RSFQ multiplexer to select the readout channel. This permits a large number of devices to be tested with a minimum of input and output lines. The devices may comprise digital devices (such as elementary RSFQ cells), or analog devices (such as inductors, resistors, or Josephson junctions) with a SQUID quantizer to generate a digital signal. The diagnostic array and the digital multiplexer are preferably configured to operate as part of the same integrated circuit at cryogenic temperatures.

Claims

1. A superconducting digital system, comprising:

a plurality of nominally identical devices under test, each device configured to generate at least one SFQ pulse output in response to an excitation condition;

a port configured to provide a common excitation condition to each of the devices under test; and

a superconducting digital multiplexer comprising;

a plurality of input ports, one for each nominally identical device under test, configured to accept the at least one SFQ pulse output of a respective device under test;

an output port, configured to propagate the at least one SFQ pulse; and

a selectable switch, configured to cause the output port to reproduce the at least one SFQ pulse from a respective single input port to preserve information comprising a statistical variation of the reproduced at least one SFQ pulse from the respective single input port under the common excitation condition, while blocking propagation of SFQ pulses present on all other of the plurality of input ports, dependent on a selectable state.

2. The superconducting digital system of claim 1, where at least one device under test comprises:

an analog element biased with a reference voltage; and

an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the analog output of the analog element to at least one SFQ output pulse.

3. The superconducting digital system of claim 2, where the analog-to-digital converter comprises a SQUID quantizer.

4. The superconducting digital system of claim 2, where the analog-to-digital converter comprises an analog input and a SQUID quantizer subjected to a magnetic flux corresponding to the signal at the analog input, the analog-to-digital converter having a digitized output comprising an SFQ pulse sequence at a rate that is periodic in the magnetic flux.

5. The superconducting digital system of claim 4, where a property of the analog element is measured by examination of the SFQ pulse sequence as a function of the reference voltage which biases the analog element.

6. The superconducting digital system of claim 1, where a device under test comprises a digital gate configured to generate at least one SFQ pulse, and the digital gate has at least one bias condition.

7. The superconducting digital system of claim 1, where each of the plurality of devices under test comprises at least 16 nominally identical elements.

8. The superconducting digital system of claim 1, further comprising an analyzer configured to analyze the at least one SFQ pulse at the output port, to analyze a statistical variation of the respective nominally identical element of each of the plurality of devices under test.

9. The superconducting digital system of claim 1, further comprising an analyzer configured to analyze the at least one SFQ pulse at the output port, to analyze the information comprising a statistical variation of the reproduced at least one SFQ pulse, to provide information on a performance margin of the respective nominally identical element of each of the plurality of devices under test.

10. The superconducting digital system of claim 1, where the plurality of devices under test and the multiplexer are fabricated on a common superconducting integrated circuit.

11. The superconducting digital system of claim 1, where the selectable switch comprises at least one non-destructive readout (NDRO) memory cell, comprising a SET input, a RESET input, a DATA READ input, a DATA OUT output, and a SYNCH output, wherein each of the plurality of input ports receives a representation of the at least one SFQ pulse output of the respective device under test to the DATA READ input, and the DATA OUT output is configured to transmit a representation of the at least one SFQ pulse output to the output port of the multiplexer if the SET input is selected.

12. The superconducting digital system of claim 11, wherein the selectable state of the selectable switch is configured to be established dependent on a pulse input to the SET input of one NDRO, to thereby cause the DATA READ input of the one NDRO to be reflected at the output port, and to be subsequently established to de-select the one NDRO dependent on a pulse input to the RESET input of the one NDRO, to generate a pulse output from the SYNCH output.

13. The superconducting digital system of claim 12, whereby the respective SYNCH output of a plurality of the respective NDROs are each connected to the SET input of a respective adjacent NDRO, so that de-selection of a given NDRO is followed by the selection of the adjacent NDRO.

14. The superconducting digital system of claim 1, further comprising an analyzer configured to determine at least one of:

an information content at the multiplexer output port conveyed as a pulse frequency of the at least one SFQ pulse; and

a pulse frequency of the at least one SFQ pulse at the multiplexer output port.

15. The superconducting digital system of claim 14, further comprising a circuit configured to convert the information content of the multiplexer output port to a time-averaged voltage across a Josephson junction.

16. A method of digital readout of an array comprising a plurality of elements in a superconducting integrated circuit, comprising the steps of:

(a) exciting the array comprising the plurality of elements in a continuous or periodic fashion;

(b) generating a sequence of SFQ pulses from each element of the array while subject to the respective excitation comprising a statistical variation of the sequence of pulses for each of the plurality of elements;

(c) conducting the sequence of pulses for each of the plurality of elements to a corresponding plurality of inputs of a digital multiplexer to preserve information comprising the statistical variation of the sequence of pulses for each of the plurality of elements; and

(d) selecting a state, within the digital multiplexer, to permit the pulses of only a single selected input of the plurality of inputs for output on a multiplexer output line.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of elements is nominally identical and produces a corresponding sequence of SFQ pulses.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising analyzing reproducibility of a respective element producing a sequence of SFQ pulses at the multiplexer output line to determine at least a statistical variation of the sequence of pulses for each of the plurality of elements.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising analyzing uniformity between respective elements producing respective sequences of SFQ pulses at the multiplexer output line.

20. The method according to claim 16, further comprising analyzing at least one of a performance and a performance margin of a respective element producing respective sequences of SFQ pulses at the multiplexer output line with respect to a predetermined value.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of elements each comprise analog devices, said exciting the array comprises applying a bias, and the generating a sequence of SFQ pulses comprises converting the output of the analog devices in a superconducting analog-to-digital converter.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of elements each comprise digital devices, and the exciting comprises generating a sequence of clock and data pulses to the plurality respective elements.

23. A superconducting digital multiplexer system for testing a plurality of nominally identical devices under test, each device configured to generate at least one SFQ pulse output in response to an excitation condition the system comprising:

a plurality of input ports, a respective input port for each nominally identical device under test, configured to accept the at least one SFQ pulse output of a respective device under test;

a port configured to provide a common excitation condition to each of the nominally identical devices under test;

an output port, configured to propagate the at least one SFQ pulse; and

a selectable switch, configured to cause the output port to reproduce the at least one SFQ pulse from a respective single input port to preserve information comprising a statistical variation of the reproduced at least one SFQ pulse from the respective single input port while under the common excitation condition, while blocking propagation of SFQ pulses present on all other of the plurality of input ports, dependent on a selectable state.