Highly sensitive photodetection using a microwave-coupled BaPb/sub 0.7/Bi/sub 0.3/O3 Josephson junction array

The BaPb/sub 0.7/Bi/sub 0.3/O3 sputtered film possesses tunnel Josephson junctions at boundary layers [boundary Josephson junction (BJJ)] normal to the film plane in a homogeneous junction array. The film has high efficiency for optical irradiation of the junctions because of the high optical transparency. The letter presents the optical effect on the current-voltage characteristics for this Josephson junction array locked to a microwave field. The microwave-induced hysteresis loop caused by voltage locking among junctions in a microwave field is highly sensitive to optical illumination with as low an incident power as a few nanowatts. This probably can be exploited in a future, highly sensitive photodetector