Josephson Junctions with Tunnel Barriers Grown Via In Situ Atomic Layer Deposition

Abstract

Since the 1970's, silicon technology has increased processing power by increasing the density of silicon transistors according to Moore's Law. However, silicon transistor feature sizes are approaching a minimum size limit, and a new paradigm is required to continue progress. Quantum computing is a promising paradigm that relies on the entanglement of macroscopic quantum objects, called qubits, to perform calculations. Josephson junction (JJ) based qubits are a promising candidate for the implementation of quantum computers. However, JJ qubits have suffered from poor coherence. A major source of decoherence in JJ qubits is two-level fluctuators in the insulating materials of the JJ circuit, particularly oxygen vacancies and interstitials in the thermally oxidized tunnel barrier. In order to realize the full potential of JJ qubits, an alternative method to thermal oxidation must be found for tunnel barrier growth. This work explores using atomic layer deposition (ALD) for the growth of ultrathin (~ 1 nm) tunnel barriers in JJs. A unique thin film deposition tool was built which integrates ultra-high vacuum sputtering with ALD in situ. The growth of ALD-Al2O3 on in situ sputtered Al films was studied in depth. Atomic force microscopy and ellipsometry were used to determine that ALD-Al2O3 grows conformally on Al, but a ~ 2 nm thermally oxidized interfacial layer (IL) develops between the Al and Al2O3 for ALD films > 2 nm. The thickness of this IL decreased when the Al film was 2 nm. The thickness of this IL decreased when the Al film was < 2 nm, confirming the IL is a thermal oxide. As a proof of concept, Nb/Al/ALD-Al2O3/Nb trilayers with ultrathin (< 1 nm) tunnel barriers were grown and processed into JJs. The junction specific resistance and gap current density were found to depend exponentially on the ALD film thickness, indicating that the tunnel barrier thickness can be controlled by ALD. Despite evidence for an estimated 0.8 nm interfacial layer in the ultrathin tunnel barrier, this work incontrovertibly concludes that ALD can be used to produce quality JJs.