THIN-FILM BIPBSRCACUO DIRECT-CURRENT SUPERCONDUCTING QUANTUM INTERFERING DEVICES OPERATING AT 78-K

Direct current SQUIDs (superconducting quantum interference devices) have been successfully fabricated by using a Pb-doped BiSrCaCuO superconducting thin film made by mixed evaporation of a single source composed of related components with a resistance heater. The dc SQUID comprises a square washer with a small hole. These SQUIDs show perfectly periodic voltage-flux characteristics without magnetic shield, that is, typically, the flux noise and energy resolution at a frequency range from dc to 1 Hz and at 78 K being 1.7 x 10(-3) PHI-0/ square-root Hz and 3.6 x 10(-26) J/Hz, respectively. Meanwhile, we have found out that one of the SQUIDs still was able to operate on flux-locked mode without bias currents and showed voltage-flux second harmonic characteristics. This phenomenon is not well understood, but it may be related to I-V (current-voltage) characteristics of the dc SQUID.