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US 9,425,377 B2Granted
Tunnel junction fabrication
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsStephanie Moyerman, Brian Keating
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for fabricating a tunnel junction includes depositing a first electrode on a substrate, depositing a wetting layer having a thickness of less than 2 nm on the first electrode, using atomic layer deposition (ALD) to deposit an oxide layer on the wetting layer, and depositing a second electrode on the oxide layer. The wetting layer and the oxide layer form a tunnel barrier, and the second electrode includes a superconductor.
Claims13
A method for fabricating a superconducting quantum computer bit, the method comprising:
- depositing a first electrode on a substrate;
- depositing a first layer of a superconducting material on one end of the first electrode and on the substrate;
- depositing a second layer of the superconducting material on another end of the first electrode and on the substrate;
- depositing a wetting layer having a thickness of less than 2 nm on the first electrode, the wetting layer contacting both the first layer and the second layer of the superconducting material;
- using atomic layer deposition (ALD) to deposit an oxide layer on the wetting layer, the oxide layer contacting both the first layer and the second layer of the superconducting material;
- and
- depositing a second electrode on the oxide layer, the second electrode contacting both the first layer and the second layer of the superconducting material,
- wherein the superconducting quantum computer bit comprises a tunnel barrier formed by the wetting layer and the oxide layer,
- the first electrode comprises a non-superconducting material;
- the second electrode comprises a superconducting material, and
- a temperature of the superconducting quantum computer bit decreases when a voltage is applied across the first and second electrodes.
8 more elements
A superconducting quantum computer bit, comprising:
- a substrate having a surface;
- a first electrode deposited on the surface of the substrate;
- a wetting layer deposited on the first electrode, the wetting layer being less than 2 nm in thickness;
- an oxide layer deposited on the wetting layer;
- a second electrode deposited on the oxide layer;
- wherein:
- the first electrode is formed using a material selected from the group consisting of a non-oxidizing metal, a metal that forms an incomplete oxide, and a metal that forms a conductive oxide,
- the quantum computer bit is configured to operate at a temperature where the second electrode is superconducting,
- thermal transfer occurs between the first electrode and the second electrode when a voltage is applied across the first and second electrodes;
- a first layer of a superconducting material deposited on the substrate and a first end of the first electrode;
- and
- a second layer of the superconducting material deposited on the substrate and another end of the first electrode,
- wherein:
- the oxide layer is in contact with the first and second layers of the superconducting material, and a temperature of the superconducting quantum computer bit is reduced when a voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.