Co-Sputtered Amorphous Nb$_{ x}$Si$_{1 - { x}}$ Barriers for Josephson-Junction Circuits

Abstract

Co-sputtered amorphous Nb <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</sub> Si <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1-</sub> x has been developed as a barrier material for Josephson-junction array circuits. This material is quite promising as a normal-metal barrier for state-of-the-art Josephson voltage standards. In addition, the capability of tuning the barrier resistivity over a wide range that includes the metal-insulator transition could lead to applications in high-speed superconductive electronics. The electrical characteristics and uniformity of amorphous Nb <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</sub> Si <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1-</sub> x-barrier junctions are similar to those of other normal-metal barriers, but the superior etching properties makes this barrier material especially promising for tall, stacked junctions that are required for high-junction-density applications. Under appropriate deposition conditions, the reproducibility of devices with co-sputtered amorphous NbxSi <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1-x</sub> is sufficient to produce high-quality stacked-junction superconductive devices