Operating Margins for a Pulse-Driven Josephson Arbitrary Waveform Synthesizer Using a Ternary Bit-Stream Generator

We describe measurements with a pulse-driven Josephson arbitrary waveform synthesizer (JAWS) that uses a ternary arbitrary bit-stream generator as the bias source. This system is designed to be used as an AC Josephson voltage standard. From these measurements, we conclude that the system is operational for root-mean-square voltages of up to 220 mV. We measured the operating margins for different voltages synthesized with different numbers of junctions, waveforms, and bias conditions. We also present results on the influence of the critical current on the operating margins.