Abstract

One important application of scanning SQUID microscopes is fault detection in integrated circuits and multi-chip modules. However, the present generation of computer processors operate at over 1 GHz, well above the bandwidth of the present generation of SQUID microscopes. Towards this end, we present results on a cryo-cooled 4.2 K scanning SQUID microscope with a bandwidth of dc to 2 GHz and a sensitivity of about 50 nT per sample. We use a thin-film hysteretic Nb dc-SQUID and a pulsed sampling technique, rather than a non-hysteretic SQUID and a flux-locked loop, to overcome the bandwidth limitation of existing scanning SQUID microscopes. The microscope allows for non-contact images of time-varying magnetic field to be taken of room-temperature samples with time steps down to 50 ps and spatial resolution ultimately limited by the size of the SQUID. We present time-varying magnetic field images obtained with this scanning SQUID microscope and discuss the advantages and limitations of this method.

Publication Details
Publication Type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2011
Volume
21
Number of Pages
412-415
DOI
10.1109/tasc.2010.2087735
Journal
Ieee Transactions on Applied Superconductivity
Contributors