Nb Thin Films Research Articles

Characterizing Quality Factor of Niobium Resonators Using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo Approach

The next generation of radiation detectors in high precision Cosmology, Astronomy, and particle-astrophysics experiments will rely heavily on superconducting microwave resonators and kinetic inductance devices. Understanding the physics of energy loss in these devices, in particular at low temperatures and powers, is vital. We present a comprehensive analysis framework, using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, to characterize loss due to two-level system in concert with quasi-particle dynamics in thin-film Nb resonators in the GHz range.

Optical constants of DC sputtering derived ITO, TiO2 and TiO2:Nb thin films characterized by spectrophotometry and spectroscopic ellipsometry for optoelectronic devices

Thin films of inorganic materials as Tin-doped indium oxide, titanium oxide, Niobium doped titanium oxide, were deposited for comparison on glass and Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates with a DC sputtering method. These thin films have been characterized by different techniques: Dektak Surface Profilometer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM, (UV/Vis/NIR) spectrophotometer and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). The optical parameters of these films such as transmittance, reflectance, refractive index, extinction coefficient, energy gap obtained with different electronic transitions, real and imaginary (εr,εi) dielectric constants, were determined in the wavelengths range of (200−2200) nm. The results were compared with SE measurements in the ranges of (0.56–6.19) eV by a new amorphous model with steps of 1nm. SE measurements of optical constant have been examined and confirm the accuracy of the (UV/Vis/NIR) results. The optical properties indicate an excellent transmittance in the visible range of (400–800) nm. The average transmittance of films on glass is about (86%, 91%, 85%) for (ITO, TiO2, TiO2:Nb (NTO)) respectively and decreases to about (85%, 81%, 82%) for PET substrates. For all these materials the optical band gap for direct transition was (3.53, 3.3, 3.6) eV on glass substrates and on PET substrates using two methods (UV and SE). A comparison between optical constants and thickness of these ultrathin films observed gives an excellent agreement with the UV results. The deposited films were also analyzed by XRD and showed an amorphous structure. The structural morphology of these thin films has been investigated and compared.

Light Induced Electron-Phonon Scattering Mediated Resistive Switching in Nanostructured Nb Thin Film Superconductor

abstractThe elemental Nb is mainly investigated for its eminent superconducting properties. In contrary, we report of a relatively unexplored property, namely, its superior optoelectronic property in reduced dimension. We demonstrate here that nanostructured Nb thin films (NNFs), under optical illumination, behave as room temperature photo-switches and exhibit bolometric features below its superconducting critical temperature. Both photo-switch and superconducting bolometric behavior are monitored by its resistance change with light in visible and near infrared (NIR) wavelength range. Unlike the conventional photodetectors, the NNF devices switch to higher resistive states with light and the corresponding resistivity change is studied with thickness and grain size variations. At low temperature in its superconducting state, the light exposure shifts the superconducting transition towards lower temperature. The room temperature photon sensing nature of the NNF is explained by the photon assisted electron-phonon scattering mechanism while the low temperature light response is mainly related to the heat generation which essentially changes the effective temperature for the device and the device is capable of sensing a temperature difference of few tens of milli-kelvins. The observed photo-response on the transport properties of NNFs can be very important for future superconducting photon detectors, bolometers and phase slip based device applications.

Reconfigurable superconducting vortex pinning potential for magnetic disks in hybrid structures

High resolution scanning Hall probe microscopy has been used to directly visualise the superconducting vortex behavior in hybrid structures consisting of a square array of micrometer-sized Py ferromagnetic disks covered by a superconducting Nb thin film. At remanence the disks exist in almost fully flux-closed magnetic vortex states, but the observed cloverleaf-like stray fields indicate the presence of weak in-plane anisotropy. Micromagnetic simulations suggest that the most likely origin is an unintentional shape anisotropy. We have studied the pinning of added free superconducting vortices as a function of the magnetisation state of the disks, and identified a range of different phenomena arising from competing energy contributions. We have also observed clear differences in the pinning landscape when the superconductor and the ferromagnet are electron ically coupled or insulated by a thin dielectric layer, with an indication of non-trivial vortex-vortex interactions. We demonstrate a complete reconfiguration of the vortex pinning potential when the magnetisation of the disks evolves from the vortex-like state to an onion-like one under an in-plane magnetic field. Our results are in good qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions and could form the basis of novel superconducting devices based on reconfigurable vortex pinning sites.

Thermal conductance of Nb thin films at sub-kelvin temperatures

We determine the thermal conductance of thin niobium (Nb) wires on a silica substrate in the temperature range of 0.1–0.6 K using electron thermometry based on normal metal-insulator-superconductor tunnel junctions. We find that at 0.6 K, the thermal conductance of Nb is two orders of magnitude lower than that of Al in the superconducting state, and two orders of magnitude below the Wiedemann-Franz conductance calculated with the normal state resistance of the wire. The measured thermal conductance exceeds the prediction of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory, and demonstrates a power law dependence on temperature as T4.5, instead of an exponential one. At the same time, we monitor the temperature profile of the substrate along the Nb wire to observe possible overheating of the phonon bath. We show that Nb can be successfully used for thermal insulation in a nanoscale circuit while simultaneously providing an electrical connection.

Nanostructured thin film coatings with different strengthening effects

A number of articles on strengthening thin film coatings were analyzed and a lot of unusual strengthening effects, such as super high hardness and plasticity simultaneously, ultra low friction coefficient, high wear-resistance, curve rigidity increasing of drills with small diameter, associated with process formation of nanostructured coatings by the different thin film deposition methods were detected. Vacuum coater with RF magnetron sputtering system and ion-beam source and arc evaporator for nanostructured thin film coating manufacture are represented. Diamond Like Carbon and MoS 2 thin film coatings, Ti, Al, Nb, Cr, nitride, carbide, and carbo-nitride thin film materials are described as strengthening coatings.

Minimizing Film Stress and Degradation in Thin-Film Niobium Superconducting Cables

The future of superconducting and cryogenic electronic systems can significantly benefit from densely integrated superconducting multi-layer and multi-signal flexible cables due to the massive number of electrical interconnects needed in systems such as superconducting quantum computers and cryogenic detector arrays. In order to maintain superconductivity in niobium (Nb) thin films, film stress and degradation must be minimized. We are working towards configurations with embedded traces, where it is expected that the superconductor material will be subjected to subsequent fabrication steps that must not degrade the properties of the superconductor. We previously observed degradation of the superconducting properties of Nb, such as reduction of both transition temperature and critical current, as a result of curing a polyimide passivation layer at supplier recommended curing temperature (350 oC). The deterioration in the superconducting properties may be due to mechanical stress in the film or diffusion of impurities into the Nb during the curing process Film stress plays a vital role in the superconducting properties of Nb. Previous research by other groups has focused on in situ ion bombardment, substrate fixturing and wafer preparation in order to minimize film stress. In this work, we discuss the role of argon (Ar) pressure and power during Nb sputtering on the quality of Nb and Nb/Al thin films. By varying the Ar pressure and applied power during sputter deposition, we have produced both tensile and compressive films on flexible substrates in order to find the pressure that yields a near zero stress Nb and Nb/Al thin film at room temperature. A low stress Nb film was tested with a thin Al barrier layer (of the order of 10's of nm) between Nb and polyimide to protect the Nb superconductivity during the PI curing step. Nb traces with a thickness of roughly 250nm and a width of 50um were used for this work. Nb films deposited at different Ar pressures and power levels were tested for critical transition temperature (Tc), critical current (Ic), and sheet resistance (Ω/□), to compare the superconducting behavior of different Nb films. Details of the fabrication processes, experimental procedures and performance results will be presented. This work will help determine materials stacks-ups that may be useful for future multi-layer Nb-based flexible superconducting cables. Acknowledgment: We gratefully acknowledge financial support and technical guidance from Microsoft Research for this work.

Neutron flux spectrum revealed by Nb-based current-biased kinetic inductance detector with a 10B conversion layer

We successfully derived the time-dependent flux of pulsed neutrons using a superconducting Nb-based current-biased kinetic inductance detector (CB-KID) with a 10B conversion layer at Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex. Our CB-KID is a meander line made of a 40-nm-thick Nb thin film with 1−μm line width, which is covered with a 150-nm-thick 10B conversion layer. The detector works at a temperature below 4K. The evaluated detection efficiency of the CB-KID in this experiment is 0.23% at the neutron energy of 25.4meV. The time-dependent flux spectra of pulsed neutrons thus obtained are in good agreement with the results obtained by the Monte Carlo simulations.

Morphology and Structure of Nb Thin Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition at Different Substrate Temperatures

This paper reports the fabrication of Nb thin films through pulsed laser deposition at different substrate temperatures, ranging from 300 to 660 K. While the variation of the substrate temperature does not affect significantly the excellent Nb thin film adhesion to the Si(100) substrate surface, the increase of the substrate temperature up to 570 K promotes an improvement of the grown film in terms of morphology and roughness. Such improvement is achieved through the formation of wider columnar structures with a reduced superficial roughness, around 5 nm, as shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy. The use of temperatures over 570 K increases the substrate roughness due to the formation of irregular structures inside the film, as observed by SEM cross section analysis, and does not produce a relevant improvement on the crystalline structure of the material.

Suppression of Phase Transformation in Nb-H Thin Films below Switchover Thickness.

Hydrogen uptake in metal-hydrogen (M-H) nanosized systems (e.g., thin films, clusters) is both a fundamental and a technologically relevant topic, which is becoming more important due to the recent developments of hydrogen sensors, purification membranes, and hydrogen storage solutions. It was recently shown that hydrogen (H) absorption in nanosized systems adhered to rigid substrates can lead to ultrahigh mechanical stress in the GPa range. About -10 GPa (compressive) stress were reported for hydrogen loaded niobium (Nb) thin films. Such high stresses can be achieved when conventional stress-release channels are closed, e.g., by reducing the system size. In this paper, we demonstrate that the high stress can be used to strongly modify the system's thermodynamics. In particular, a complete suppression of the phase transformation is achieved by reducing the film thickness below a switchover value dso. Combined in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements serve to determine the switchover thickness of epitaxial Nb/Al2O3 films in the thickness range from 55 to 5 nm. A switchover thickness dso = 9 ± 1 nm is found at T = 294 K. This result is supported by complementary methods such as electromotive force (EMF), electrical resistance, and mechanical stress measurements in combination with theoretical modeling.

Predicting the interface structure of Nb thin film grown on MgO(110) substrate

With First-principles calculation method, we predicted the interface structure of Nb thin film grown on MgO(110) substrate (Nb/MgO(110)) by calculating the energy of different interface configurations. We also studied its chemical bonding along the interface, and compared the interface structure with Nb/MgO(100) and Nb/MgO(111). Results showed that Nb film in Nb/MgO(110) might have a better crystalline quality, and Nb/MgO(111) is more suitable to be used in radiation environment.

A modular, extendible and field-tolerant multichannel vector magnetometer based on current sensor SQUIDs

We present the prototype module of our extendible and robust multichannel SQUID magnetometer system. A large multi-module arrangement can be implemented by using up to 7 modules. The system is intended for high-precision measurements of biomagnetism and spin precession. Further demanding applications are magnetorelaxometry and ultra-low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (ULF NMR), where pulsed magnetic fields of up to 100 mT are typically applied. The system is operated inside the Berlin magnetically shielded room (BMSR-2) and equipped with 18 magnetometers consisting of niobium (Nb) wire-wound pick-up coils. A total of 16 small pick-up coils with 17.1 mm diameter form a regular grid with individual channels arranged to ensure system sensitivity covers all three orthogonal spatial directions. Two large hexagonal pick-up coils with an equivalent diameter of 74.5 mm sensitive in z-direction surround the grid at two different heights and are suitable for the detection of deep sources. Each pick-up coil is connected to the input of a thin-film Nb SQUID current sensor via a detachable superconducting contact. The SQUIDs are equipped with integrated input current limiters. Feedback into the pick-up coils is employed to minimise crosstalk between channels. The current sensor chip package includes a superconducting shield of Nb. The field distortion of the prototype and a multi-module arrangement was analysed by numerical simulation. The measured noise of the small magnetometers was between 0.6 and 1.5 fT , and well below 1 fT for the large ones. Using a software gradiometer, we achieved a minimum noise level of 0.54 fT . We performed ULF NMR experiments, verifying the system’s robustness against pulsed fields, and magnetoencephalographgy (MEG) on somatosensory evoked neuronal activity. The low noise performance of our 18-channel prototype enabled the detection of high-frequency components at around 1 kHz by MEG.

Abrikosov fluxonics in washboard nanolandscapes

Abrikosov fluxonics, a domain of science and engineering at the interface of superconductivity research and nanotechnology, is concerned with the study of the properties and dynamics of Abrikosov vortices in nanopatterned superconductors, with particular focus on their confinement, manipulation, and exploitation for emerging functionalities. Vortex pinning, guided vortex motion, and the ratchet effect are three main fluxonic “tools” which allow for the dynamical (pinned or moving), the directional (angle-dependent), and the orientational (current polarity-sensitive) control of the fluxons, respectively. Thanks to the periodicity of the vortex lattice, several groups of effects emerge when the vortices move in a periodic pinning landscape: Spatial commensurability of the location of vortices with the underlying pinning nanolandscape leads to a reduction of the dc resistance and the microwave loss at the so-called matching fields. Temporal synchronization of the displacement of vortices with the number of pinning sites visited during one half ac cycle manifests itself as Shapiro steps in the current-voltage curves. Delocalization of vortices oscillating under the action of a high-frequency ac drive can be tuned by a superimposed dc bias. In this short review a set of experimental results on the vortex dynamics in the presence of periodic pinning potentials in Nb thin films is presented. The consideration is limited to one particular type of artificial pinning structures — directly written nanolandscapes of the washboard type, which are fabricated by focused ion beam milling and focused electron beam induced deposition. The reported results are relevant for the development of fluxonic devices and the reduction of microwave losses in superconducting planar transmission lines.

Ultra-thin planar tunnel junctions grown on Nb thin films by atomic layer deposition

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is used to grow ultra-thin and low-defect Al2O3 tunnel junction barriers on sputter-deposited Nb thin films. Junctions of sizes on the order of 100×100μm2 and barrier thicknesses of 4.4 to 11Å exhibit over 90% reproducibility. The conductance characteristics at low temperature show the clear density of states signature of superconducting Nb. The junction resistancetimes area product increases exponentially with barrier thickness, further supporting the high quality of the junctions, in which single-step elastic tunneling predominates. The background conductance at low temperature could not be fit with the Brinkman-Dynes-Rowell model, indicating the barriers are not likely to act as a trapezoidal potential. Our work shows that ALD is an effective method in preparing planar tunnel junctions with ultra-thin barriers.

Design and construction of a point-contact spectroscopy rig with lateral scanning capability.

The design and realization of a cryogenic rig for point-contact spectroscopy measurements in the needle-anvil configuration is presented. Thanks to the use of two piezoelectric nano-positioners, the tip can move along the vertical (z) and horizontal (x) direction and thus the rig is suitable to probe different regions of a sample in situ. Moreover, it can also form double point-contacts on different facets of a single crystal for achieving, e.g., an interferometer configuration for phase-sensitive measurements. For the later purpose, the sample holder can also host a Helmholtz coil for applying a small transverse magnetic field to the junction. A semi-rigid coaxial cable can be easily added for studying the behavior of Josephson junctions under microwave irradiation. The rig can be detached from the probe and thus used with different cryostats. The performance of this new probe has been tested in a Quantum Design PPMS system by conducting point-contact Andreev reflection measurements on Nb thin films over large areas as a function of temperature and magnetic field.

Stress-dependent shear transformation zone in Ni[sbnd]Nb thin film metallic glass and its correlation with deformation mode transition

Stress effect on shear transformation zone (STZ) in Ni60Nb40 thin film metallic glass was investigated. Through nanoindentation tests on the bent specimen, it was found that compressive stress decreased the STZ volume and activation energy in comparison with tensile stress and hence easy activation of STZs lowered the tendency of shear localization, which resulted in increased number and reduced length of serration. Therefore, easier STZ activation conduced to the larger critical size for deformation mode transition from highly-localized to non-localized.

Fabrication of Nb/Pb structures through ultrashort pulsed laser deposition

This work reports the fabrication of Nb/Pb structures with an application as photocathode devices. The use of relatively low energy densities for the ablation of Nb with ultrashort pulses favors the reduction of droplets during the growth of the film. However, the use of laser fluences in this ablation regime results in a consequent reduction in the average deposition rate. On the other hand, despite the low deposition rate, the films present a superior adherence to the substrate and an excellent coverage of the irregular substrate surface, avoiding the appearance of voids or discontinuities on the film surface. Moreover, the low energy densities used for the ablation favor the growth of nanocrystalline films with a similar crystalline structure to the bulk material. Therefore, the use of low ablation energy densities with ultrashort pulses for the deposition of the Nb thin films allows the growth of very adherent and nanocrystalline films with adequate properties for the fabrication of Nb/Pb structures to be included in superconducting radiofrequency cavities.

Rutile to anatase phase transition in TiO2:Nb thin films by annealing in H2 atmosphere

Rutile to anatase phase transition in Nb-doped thin films grown by RF magnetron sputtering method, annealed in H2 atmosphere at 460 °C for 30 min using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-VIS spectroscopy and Raman analysis was found. XRD study reveals transformation of rutile fraction phase presented in mixed structure of Nb:TiO2 thin films before annealing in H2 environment to anatase and increases the crystallites size from 21 nm to 32 nm. The UV-VIS spectroscopy shows that the optical band gap of the films increases as the Nb concentration increases. Moreover, annealing in H2 additionally increases the band gap. The increase of the optical band gap of the films is explained by the presence of both anatase phase and Nb2O5 inclusions as shown by analysis of Raman spectra.

Structural and nanomechanical characterization of niobium films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering

Nb thin films were deposited onto Si wafers by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering at different deposition pressures. The microstructure and nanomechanical properties of Nb films were investigated by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer, transmission electron microscope, atomic force microscope and nanoindenter. The results revealed that the grain size, thickness, surface roughness, the reduced elastic modulus (Er) and hardness (H) values of Nb thin films increased at the pressure range of 0.61–0.68 Pa. Meanwhile, the porosity of Nb films decreased with the increase in deposition pressure. The lattice deformation of Nb thin films changed from negative to positive with the increase in deposition pressure. It is concluded that deposition pressure influences the microstructure and nanomechanical properties of Nb films.

Magnetic flux penetration in Nb superconducting films with lithographically defined microindentations

We present a thorough investigation by magneto-optical imaging of the magnetic flux penetration in Nb thin films with lithographically defined border indentations. We demonstrate that discontinuity lines ($d$ lines), caused by the abrupt bending of current streamlines around the indentations, depart from the expected parabolic trend close to the defect and depend on the shape and size of the indentation as well as on the temperature. These findings are backed up and compared with theoretical results obtained by numerical simulations and analytical calculations highlighting the key role played by demagnetization effects and the creep exponent $n$. In addition, we show that the presence of nearby indentations and submicrometer random roughness of the sample border can severely modify the flux front topology and dynamics. Strikingly, in contrast to what has been repeatedly predicted in the literature, we do not observe that indentations act as nucleation spots for flux avalanches, but they instead help to release the flux pressure and avoid thermomagnetic instabilities.