The speed and distance of these disturbances have practical implications. We used a linear array of multiplexed MKIDs on a single silicon chip to measure the propagation velocity of a localized high-energy burst, introduced by driving a Normal metal- Insulator-Superconductor (NIS) junction. We observed a reduction in the apparent propagation velocity with NIS power, which is due to the combined effect of reduced phonon flux with distance and the existence of a minimum detectable QP density in the MKIDs. A simple theoretical model is fitted to extract the longitudinal phonon velocity in the substrate and the conversion efficiency of phonons to QPs in the superconductor.
Propagation velocity measurements of substrate phonon bursts using MKIDs for superconducting circuits
High-energy bursts in superconducting quantum circuits from various radiation sources have recently become a practical concern due to induced errors and their propagation in the chip.