# US 2025/0160221 A1 · Method of manufacturing a superconductive integrated circuit

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- Number: US 2025/0160221 A1
- Document ID: US20250160221A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/933,010
- Filed: 2024-10-31
- Published: 2025-05-15
- Earliest claimed: 2023-11-09
- Assignees: Infineon Technologies AG
- Applicants: Infineon Technologies AG
- Inventors: Wolfgang RABERG; Michael KIRSCH; Jash BANKER; Jochen BRAUMÜLLER; Nicolas ARLT
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250160221A1

## CPC

- H10N 60/0912: {of Josephson-effect devices}
- G06N 10/40: Physical realisations or architectures of quantum processors or components for manipulating qubits, e.g. qubit coupling or qubit control
- H10N 60/12: Josephson-effect devices
- H10N 69/00: Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one superconducting element covered by group H10N60/00
- H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS

## Abstract

A method of manufacturing a superconductive integrated circuit on a substrate includes forming a first superconductive layer of a superconductive material over the substrate. A Josephson junction (JJ) layer stack including a JJ barrier layer is formed over the first superconductive layer. The JJ layer stack is structured to form a JJ structure. The first superconductive layer is structured to form a structured first superconductive layer. A dielectric cover layer is formed over the JJ structure. The dielectric cover layer is structured a first time to expose an upper side of the JJ structure. A second superconductive layer of a superconductive material is formed over the dielectric cover layer. The second superconductive layer is structured to form a structured second superconductive layer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of manufacturing a superconductive integrated circuit on a substrate, the method comprising:
forming a first superconductive layer of a first superconductive material over the substrate;
forming a Josephson Junction JJ layer stack including a JJ barrier layer over the first superconductive layer;
structuring the JJ layer stack to form a JJ structure;
structuring the first superconductive layer to form a structured first superconductive layer;
forming a dielectric cover layer over the JJ structure;
structuring the dielectric cover layer a first time to expose an upper side of the JJ structure;
forming a second superconductive layer of a second superconductive material over the dielectric cover layer; and
structuring the second superconductive layer to form a structured second superconductive layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
structuring the dielectric cover layer a second time after the second superconductive layer has been structured.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the structured first superconductive layer provides a first superconductive structure,
wherein the structured second superconductive layer provides a second superconductive structure, and
wherein the second superconductive structure connects to the JJ structure and to the first superconductive structure.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the structured first superconductive layer and the structured second superconductive layer are structured to form a vertical capacitor with a capacitor dielectric material comprising the dielectric cover layer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a first dielectric base layer is formed over the structured first superconductive layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further comprising:
structuring the first dielectric base layer to form exposed regions of the structured first superconductive layer; and
forming the dielectric cover layer over the exposed regions.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the first dielectric base layer is formed before the JJ layer stack is formed over the first superconductive layer.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the first dielectric base layer is formed after the JJ layer stack is formed over the first superconductive layer.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein structuring the JJ layer stack is carried out before the first superconductive layer is structured.

### Claim 10 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the first dielectric base layer is structured in a same structuring process used to structure the dielectric cover layer.

### Claim 11 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further comprising:
forming a second dielectric base layer over the first dielectric base layer, a dielectric material of the second dielectric base layer being different from a dielectric material of the first dielectric base layer; and
thinning the second dielectric base layer to expose the first dielectric base layer in regions over structures of the structured first superconductive layer.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein forming the JJ layer stack and structuring the JJ layer stack are carried out after the second dielectric base layer has been formed.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the dielectric cover layer is formed over the second dielectric base layer after thinning the second dielectric base layer.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the dielectric cover layer comprises a silicon nitride.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first superconductive material and the second superconductive material comprise a same superconductive material.

### Claim 16

A method of manufacturing a superconductive integrated circuit on a substrate, the method comprising:
depositing a first superconductive layer of a first superconductive material over the substrate;
structuring the first superconductive layer to form a structured first superconductive layer, the structured first superconductive layer including a plurality of structures of the first superconductive material, and the plurality of structures of the first superconductive material being electrically and/or structurally disconnected from each other;
forming a Josephson Junction (JJ) layer stack including a JJ barrier layer over the first superconductive layer, the JJ layer stack comprising a continuous, unstructured layer stack;
structuring the JJ layer stack to form a JJ structure;
forming a dielectric cover layer over the JJ structure;
structuring the dielectric cover layer a first time to expose an upper side of the JJ structure;
forming a second superconductive layer of a second superconductive material over the dielectric cover layer; and
structuring the second superconductive layer to form a structured second superconductive layer.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, further comprising:
structuring the dielectric cover layer a second time after the second superconductive layer has been structured.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the structured first superconductive layer provides a first superconductive structure,
wherein the structured second superconductive layer provides a second superconductive structure, and
wherein the second superconductive structure connects to the JJ structure and to the first superconductive structure.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the structured first superconductive layer and the structured second superconductive layer are structured to form a vertical capacitor with a capacitor dielectric material comprising the dielectric cover layer.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein a first dielectric base layer is formed over the structured first superconductive layer, the method further comprising:
structuring the first dielectric base layer to form exposed regions of the structured first superconductive layer; and
forming the dielectric cover layer over the exposed regions.