Multi-Junction Switching in Bi_2Sr_(1.6)La_(0.4)CuO_(6+δ) Intrinsic Josephson Junctions

摘要

We study the dynamics of multi-junction switching (MJS): several intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) in an array switch to the finite voltage state simultaneously. The number of multi-switching junctions (N) was successfully tuned by changing the load resistance serially connected to an Bi_2Sr_(1.6)La_(0.4)CuO_(6+δ) IJJ array. The independence of the escape rates of N in the macroscopic quantum tunneling regime indicates that MJS is a successive switching process rather than a collective process. The origin of MJS is explained by the gradient of a load curve and the relative magnitudes of the switching currents of quasiparticle branches in the current-voltage plane.