Characteristics of CeCoIn5/Al/AlOx/Nb and CeCoIn5/Al/AlOx/Al tunnel junctions

We report characteristics of CeCoIn₅/Al/AlO_x/Nb and CeCoIn₅/Al/AlO_x/Al tunnel junctions fabricated on the (0 0 1) surface of CeCoIn₅ crystal platelets. The main result of this work is the observation of a low Josephson current (as compared with that expected from the Ambegaokar–Baratoff formula), which is consistent with idea that the order parameter in the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn₅ has unconventional pairing symmetry.     

A 40 GHz band SIS receiver using Nb/Al?AlOx/Nb array junctions

A 40 GHz band SIS mixer receiver has been built using Nb/Al–AlOx/Nb array junctions and a 4.3 K closed cycle helium refrigerator. The minimum conversion loss of the mixer is 2±1 dB and the single sideband receiver noise temperature (T_RX (SSB)) is as low as 110±10 K at 36 GHz. T_RX (SSB) is almost constant in the IF bandwidth of 600 MHz. The mixer saturation level is as high as 15 nW, which is comparable to the injected LO power.Nobeyama Radio Observatory (NRO), a branch of the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory, University of Tokyo, is a cosmic radio observing facility open for outside users.     

Nb/A1-AlO_X/Nb隧道结的制备研究

通过改进RIE的刻蚀工艺和绝缘层的生长工艺,在SiO2/Si衬底上制备出了性能良好的超导Nb/A1-AlOX/Nb隧道结。采用CF4作为刻蚀气体,降低了RIE对结势垒层和衬底SiO2层的刻蚀。使用PECVD生长绝缘层SiO2,改善了绝缘性能,从而降低了隧道结的漏电流。     

Al/AlO_x/Al超导隧道结的制备工艺研究

研究了在高阻硅衬底上Al/AlO x/Al隧道结的制备技术,采用电子束蒸发制备Al/AlO x/Al三层材料,湿法刻蚀制备底电极和上电极以及电路连线,PECVD法生长绝缘层(SiO2)保护超导隧道结,RIE刻蚀上电极窗口。在400mK温度下测量了Al/AlO x/Al隧道结样品,得到了较好的隧道结I-V曲线,能隙电压Vg为0.325mV,超导临界电流I c为55nA,漏电流为5nA。     

Electrical characterization of Al/AlOx/molecule/Ti/Al devices

We report experimental electrical characterization of Al/AlO_x/molecule/Ti/Al planar crossbar devices incorporating Langmuir–Blodgett organic monolayers of eicosanoic acid, fast blue, or chlorophyll-B. Current–voltage and capacitance–voltage measurements on all three molecular device structures exhibited controllable switching hysteresis. Control devices containing no molecules showed no evidence of switching. A model of interface trapped charge mediating electronic transport appears consistent with all of the data. This data illustrates the importance of considering the complete device system (consisting of the molecules, the electrodes, and the interfaces) when analyzing its electrical behavior. PACS 85.65.+h; 73.40.Rw; 73.50.Gr     

Properties of superconducting Nb/Al/Nb/Al?AlOx?Al?AlOx?Al/Nb/Al/Nb tunnel junctions

Modified geometry (MG) devices, Nb/Al/Nb/Al−AlO_x−Al−AlO_x−Al/Nb/Al/Nb, have been fabricated and investigated in comparison with the basic geometry (BG) double-barrier Nb/Al−AlO_x−Al−AlO_x−Al/Nb devices. The enhancement of the critical temperature in the Al film is found to be weaker for the MG devices as compared with the BG devices at temperatures nearT=4.2 K but stronger at lowT. Indication of an enhancement of dc Josephson critical current density,j _c , at bias voltageV≠0 as compared withj _c (V=0) has been observed in the MG devices for the first time.     

Instability of single-electron memory at low temperatures in Al/AlOx/Al structures

A nanostructure based on a uniform one-dimensional array of ultrasmall tunnel junctions (a single-electron trap) characterized by an ability to maintain an excess charge of several electrons in an island is fabricated and investigated. Changes in the state of the trap are detected by a single-electron transistor. At the working temperature T=35 mK the storage time of a charge state is more than 8 h (which is the duration of the experiment). It is demonstrated that the possible factors limiting the lifetime of a state at temperatures below the typical temperatures for thermal activation include the influence of the random distribution and drift of the effective background charges of the metal islands, as well as the reverse influence discovered here of the transistor on the trap. As the current passing through the transistor increases, the hysteresis loop in the dependence of the charge in the trap on the control voltage narrows. It is noted that an increase in the current from 5 to 300 nA is equivalent to raising the working temperature to 250 mK. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 111, 344–357 (January 1997)     

A Low-Noise 230 GHz SIS Receiver for Radio Astronomy Employing Untuned Nb/AlOx/Nb Tunnel Junctions

A heterodyne receiver based on a 1/3 reduced height rectangular waveguide SIS mixer with two mechanical tuners has been built for astronomical observations of molecular transitions in the 230 GHz frequency band. The mixer used an untuned array (R_nC_j3, R_n70 ) of four Nb/AIOx/Nb tunnel junctions in series as a nonlinear mixing element. A reasonable balance between the input and output coupling efficiencies has been obtained by choosing the junction number N=4. The receiver exhibits DSB (Double Side Band) noise temperature around 50 K over a frequency range of more than 10 GHz centered at 230 GHz. The lowest system noise temperature of 38 K has been recorded at 232.5 GHz. Mainly by adjusting the subwaveguide backshort, the SSB (Single Side Band) operation with image rejection of 15 dB is obtained with the noise temperature as low as 50 K. In addition, the noise contribution from each receiver component has been studied further. The minimum SIS mixer noise temperature is estimated as 15 K, pretty close to the quantum limit v/k11 K at 230 GHz. It is believed that the receiver noise temperatures presented are the lowest yet reported for a 230 GHz receiver using untuned junctions.     

Fabrication of Al/AlOx/Al Josephson junctions and superconducting quantum circuits by shadow evaporation and a dynamic oxidation process

Besides serving as promising candidates for realizing quantum computing,superconducting quantum circuits are one of a few macroscopic physical systems in which fundamental quantum phenomena can be directly demonstrated and tested,giving rise to a vast field of intensive research work both theoretically and experimentally.In this paper we report our work on the fabrication of superconducting quantum circuits,starting from its building blocks:Al/AlOx /Al Josephson junctions.By using electron beam lithography patterning and shadow evaporation,we have fabricated aluminum Josephson junctions with a controllable critical current density(jc) and wide range of junction sizes from 0.01 μm2 up to 1 μm2.We have carried out systematical studies on the oxidation process in fabricating Al/AlOx/Al Josephson junctions suitable for superconducting flux qubits.Furthermore,we have also fabricated superconducting quantum circuits such as superconducting flux qubits and charge-flux qubits.     

Magnetoresistance in Co/AlOx/Co tunnel junction arrays

Lateral arrays of Co/AlO_x/Co junctions with dimensions down to 60 nm and inter-junction separations ∼60–100 nm have been fabricated and analyzed for possible coherent tunneling effects. Extra attention is paid to avoid uncertainties due to inconsistencies in switching and/or resistance of successive barriers. We observe ∼10% magnetoresistance enhancement at moderate bias in double junctions that cannot be accounted for by a simple model of two resistsors in series.     

Characteristics of Nb/Al superconducting tunnel junctions fabricated using ozone gas

To improve the energy resolution(?E) of Nb/Al superconducting tunnel junctions(STJs), an ozone(O3) oxidation process has been developed to fabricate a thin defect-free tunnel barrier that simultaneously shows high critical current JC 1000 A/cm2 and high normalized dynamic resistance RDA 100 M?·μm2, where A is the size of the STJ. The 50-μm2 STJs produced by O3 exposure of 0.26 Pa·min with an indirect spray of O3 gas, which is a much lower level of exposure than the O2 exposure used in a conventional O2 oxidation process, exhibit a maximum JC= 800 A/cm2 and a high RDA = 372 M? ·μm2. The 100-pixel array of the 100-μm2STJs produced using the same O3 oxidation conditions exhibits a constant leak current I leak= 14.9 ± 3.2 n A at a bias point around ? /e(where e is half the energy gap of an STJ),and a high fabrication yield of 87%. Although the I leak values are slightly larger than those of STJs produced using the conventional O2 oxidation process, the STJ produced using O3 oxidation shows a ?E = 10 eV for the C-Kα line, which is the best value of our Nb/Al STJ x-ray detectors.     

Computer simulations of the X-ray diffraction patterns of imperfect Al/Nb superlattices

In order to obtain more structural details from X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of metallic multilayers we developed a simulation program for XRD patterns of Al/Nb multilayers. We followed the theory of an imperfect one-dimensional superlattice described by Z. Mitura and P. Mikolajczak. Computer simulated patterns are compared with experimentally obtained XRD spectra.     

a-C: Fe/AlOx/Si基异质结的光伏效应

使用脉冲激光沉积(PLD)依次沉积氧化铝和碳膜制备了a-C: Fe/AlO_x/Si基异质结,研究了其光伏效应及其在太阳能电池上的应用.该太阳能电池在标准日光照射(AM1.5,100 mW/cm²)下,可获得0.33 V的开路电压和4.5 mA/cm²的电流密度,太阳能电池的转换效率为0.35%.通过C-V测量,证明了氧化铝层的引入降低了界面能级数目,增加了界面势垒高度.界面能级数目降低减少了光生载流子在界面复合的 关键词： 光伏效应 非晶碳膜 异质结 氧化铝     

Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb隧道结的制备

本文报道了在射频磁控溅射装置上Nb/Al-AlO_x/Nb隧道结的制备工艺和所获得的结果。对SIS三层结构形成时基片的温度、势垒,以及电极形成方法等问题进行了讨论。 关键词：     

Understanding the conduction and switching mechanism of Ti/AlOx/TaOx/Pt analog memristor

In this letter, the conduction and bipolar switching mechanism of the ultrathin AlO_x(3 nm)/TaO_x(5 nm) memristor are investigated through the electrical characterization and elemental analysis. The AlO_x/TaO_x memristor exhibits high uniformity and excellent analog property after initial reset process. The following experiments and analyses demonstrate that the switching behavior could take place over the whole area of TaO_x/Pt interface and is dominated by the tunneling barrier modulation induced by oxygen ions migration.     

Fabrication of sub-micron Nb/Al-oxide/Nb sis junctions

I describe a process for fabricating high critical current density, submicron superconductor/insulator/superconductor (SIS) tunnel junctions, suitable for use as millimeter-wave or submillimeter-wave mixers. The superconducting electrodes are niobium; the insulating barrier is aluminum oxide. Standard optical photolithography is employed, with subsequent shrinkback of the photoresist mesa defining the device through reactive-ion etching in an oxygen plasma to enhance step-coverage by the insulating layer. Active areas as small as 0.5µm² have been made. I discuss two variations of the process, one starting from a small initial trilayer region defined by liftoff, and the other starting from a whole-wafer initial trilayer.