scholarly journals Titanium Nitride as a New Prospective Material for NanoSQUIDs and Superconducting Nanobridge Electronics

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 466
Author(s):  
Michael I. Faley ◽  
Yuchen Liu ◽  
Rafal E. Dunin-Borkowski

Nanobridge Josephson junctions and nanometer-scale superconducting quantum interference devices (nanoSQUIDs) based on titanium nitride (TiN) thin films are described. The TiN films have a room temperature resistivity of ~15 µΩ·cm, a superconducting transition temperature Tc of up to 5.3 K and a coherence length ξ(4.2 K) of ~105 nm. They were deposited using pulsed DC magnetron sputtering from a stoichiometric TiN target onto Si (100) substrates that were heated to 800 °C. Electron beam lithography and highly selective reactive ion etching were used to fabricate nanoSQUIDs with 20-nm-wide nanobridge Josephson junctions of variable thickness. X-ray and high-resolution electron microscopy studies were performed. Non-hysteretic I(V) characteristics of the nanobridges and nanoSQUIDs, as well as peak-to-peak modulations of up to 17 µV in the V(B) characteristics of the nanoSQUIDs, were measured at 4.2 K. The technology offers prospects for superconducting electronics based on nanobridge Josephson junctions operating within the framework of the Ginzburg–Landau theory at 4.2 K.

1995 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1872-1877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Feng Zhang

Defects in Bi2Sr2Can-1CunOy superconducting thin films annealed in an oxygen atmosphere are examined by high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). In addition to the majority 2212 (n = 2) phase, subsequent slabs of other homologous phases with n values up to n = 10 are found intergrown in the films. Large-angle tilt grain boundaries and various secondary phases such as CuO, Sr-Cu-O oxides are formed in the films. The occurrence of these defects is attributed to an inhomogeneous Sr, Ca, and Cu distribution induced by the post-annealing. Superconducting transition temperature (Tc) is increased by the annealing under suitable conditions.


1989 ◽  
Vol 156 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. Parise ◽  
Pratibha L. Gai ◽  
M. K. Crawford ◽  
Eugene M. McCarron

ABSTRACTSubstitution of Ca(II) for Y(III) into tetragonal YBa2Cu3O6 has been achieved and a superconducting transition has been observed for a material of nominal composition (Y0.5Ca0.5) Ba2Cu3O6 (Tc (onset) ˜50K) [1]. Observations using high resolution electron microscopy show samples with x < 0.3 consist of a complex mixture, including (Y, Ca) Ba2Cu3O6+δ, YBa2Cu3O6+δ, and BaCuO2. Further, structural refinement using neutron diffraction data provide evidence of a solid solution limit at x ˜ 0.3. A direct analogy can be drawn between superconducting (Y1−xCax)Ba2Cu3O6 (0.1 < x < 0.3) and superconductors of the type (Y1−xCax)Pb2Sr2Cu3O8 and (La2−xM(II)x)CuO4. Substitution of the Ca(II) for Y(III) effectively increases the formal copper oxidation state. The refined structural model is fully consistent with partially oxidized CuO2 sheets separated by linear O-Cu(I)-O units.


1990 ◽  
Vol 209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Li ◽  
Y. Gao ◽  
K. L. Merkle ◽  
H. Shi ◽  
U. Balachandran

ABSTRACTDecomposition of 124 into 123 has been studied after rapid annealing at temperatures from 800°C to 1000°C. It was foundthat the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) depended on the annealing temperature and atmosphere. For decomposedsamples, fine-scale defects with strong strain contrast are observed in the 123 matrix. High-resolution electron microscopy studies show that the defects are parallel to the (001) planes of the 123 matrix. The length of the defects varies andranges from 5 nm to 50 nm in the direction parallel to the (001) planes. The defects have been interpreted to be copper oxides, which could be flux pinning centers in these materials.


Author(s):  
R.W. Horne

The technique of surrounding virus particles with a neutralised electron dense stain was described at the Fourth International Congress on Electron Microscopy, Berlin 1958 (see Home & Brenner, 1960, p. 625). For many years the negative staining technique in one form or another, has been applied to a wide range of biological materials. However, the full potential of the method has only recently been explored following the development and applications of optical diffraction and computer image analytical techniques to electron micrographs (cf. De Hosier & Klug, 1968; Markham 1968; Crowther et al., 1970; Home & Markham, 1973; Klug & Berger, 1974; Crowther & Klug, 1975). These image processing procedures have allowed a more precise and quantitative approach to be made concerning the interpretation, measurement and reconstruction of repeating features in certain biological systems.


Author(s):  
J. A. Hugo ◽  
V. A. Phillips

A continuing problem in high resolution electron microscopy is that the level of detail visible to the microscopist while he is taking a picture is inferior to that obtainable by the microscope, readily readable on a photographic emulsion and visible in an enlargement made from the plate. Line resolutions, of 2Å or better are now achievable with top of the line 100kv microscopes. Taking the resolution of the human eye as 0.2mm, this indicates a need for a direct viewing magnification of at least one million. However, 0.2mm refers to optimum viewing conditions in daylight or the equivalent, and certainly does not apply to a (colored) image of low contrast and illumination level viewed on a fluorescent screen through a glass window by the dark-adapted eye. Experience indicates that an additional factor of 5 to 10 magnification is needed in order to view lattice images with line spacings of 2 to 4Å. Fortunately this is provided by the normal viewing telescope supplied with most electron microscopes.


Author(s):  
J. Y. Koo ◽  
G. Thomas

High resolution electron microscopy has been shown to give new information on defects(1) and phase transformations in solids (2,3). In a continuing program of lattice fringe imaging of alloys, we have applied this technique to the martensitic transformation in steels in order to characterize the atomic environments near twin, lath and αmartensite boundaries. This paper describes current progress in this program.Figures A and B show lattice image and conventional bright field image of the same area of a duplex Fe/2Si/0.1C steel described elsewhere(4). The microstructure consists of internally twinned martensite (M) embedded in a ferrite matrix (F). Use of the 2-beam tilted illumination technique incorporating a twin reflection produced {110} fringes across the microtwins.


Author(s):  
W. H. Wu ◽  
R. M. Glaeser

Spirillum serpens possesses a surface layer protein which exhibits a regular hexagonal packing of the morphological subunits. A morphological model of the structure of the protein has been proposed at a resolution of about 25 Å, in which the morphological unit might be described as having the appearance of a flared-out, hollow cylinder with six ÅspokesÅ at the flared end. In order to understand the detailed association of the macromolecules, it is necessary to do a high resolution structural analysis. Large, single layered arrays of the surface layer protein have been obtained for this purpose by means of extensive heating in high CaCl2, a procedure derived from that of Buckmire and Murray. Low dose, low temperature electron microscopy has been applied to the large arrays.As a first step, the samples were negatively stained with neutralized phosphotungstic acid, and the specimens were imaged at 40,000 magnification by use of a high resolution cold stage on a JE0L 100B. Low dose images were recorded with exposures of 7-9 electrons/Å2. The micrographs obtained (Fig. 1) were examined by use of optical diffraction (Fig. 2) to tell what areas were especially well ordered.


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