Extremely underdamped Josephson junctions for low noise applications

We present a design of extremely underdamped Josephson junctions either for use in experiments in the quantum limit or for devices using the switching dynamics of the junction, when a low noise level is mandatory. High resistance molybdenum meander lines integrated with the junction allow one to increase the insulation of the sample from its electromagnetic environment. We report an experimental study of the effective dissipation relevant in the thermally activated supercurrent decay presenting evidence of a substantial reduction of the dissipation level at low temperature.