Radio-frequency amplifier based on a niobium dc superconducting quantum interference device with microstrip input coupling

A dc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) was used to amplify radio-frequency signals that were coupled to one end of the microstrip formed by the input coil and the SQUID washer. For one device, the resonant frequency of the microstrip was increased from about 200 to 620 MHz by progressively shortening the length of the coil. At an operating temperature of 4.2 K, the gain was typically 18 dB, and the system noise temperature ranged from 0.5±0.3 K at 80 MHz to 3.0±0.7 K at 500 MHz.