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We report on atomic-scale analyses of oxygen distribution and segregation at grain boundaries (GBs) of Nb and Ta-encapsulated Nb (Ta/Nb) thin films for superconducting qubits using atom-probe tomography (APT) and transmission electron…
With a reduction in the average grain size in nanostructured films of elemental Nb, we observe a systematic crossover from metallic to weakly-insulating behavior. An analysis of the temperature dependence of the resistivity in the…
Superconductivity in granular films is controlled by the grain size and the inter-grain coupling. In a two-component granular system formed by a random mixture of a normal metal (N) and a superconductor (S), the superconducting nano-grains…
Superconducting single quantum logic integrated circuits traditionally exploit magnetron sputtered niobium thin films on silicon oxide substrates. The sputtering depends on multiple process parameters, which dramatically affect mechanical,…
The grain boundary (GB) microstructure influences and is influenced by the development of residual stresses during synthesis of polycrystalline thin films. Recent studies have shown that the frustration between the preferred growth…
Here we report a novel nitridation technique for transforming niobium into hexagonal Nb2N which appears to be superconducting below 1K. The nitridation is achieved by high temperature annealing of Nb films grown on Si3N4/Si (100) substrate…
The optical and magneto-optical properties of thin epitaxial Ni-Mn-Ga films, with thicknesses ranging from 8 to 160 nm, were investigated across the spectral range of 0.7-6.4 eV. The films were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering on MgO…
The superconductor to normal metal phase transition induced by the in-plane magnetic field is studied in free-standing Pb(111) nanofilms. In the considered structures the energy quantization induced by the confinement leads to the…
Optical conductivity of a moderately disordered superconducting NbN film was investigated by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in external magnetic field applied along the film plane. The film thickness of about 5 nm was comparable with…
We report on the normal-superconducting phase transition in thick $\mathrm{YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{7-\delta}}$ films in zero magnetic field. We find significant finite-size effects at low currents even in our thickest films ($d = 3200$ \AA). Using…
Among the recognized sources of decoherence in superconducting qubits, the spatial inhomogeneity of the superconducting state and the possible presence of magnetic-flux vortices remain comparatively underexplored. Niobium is commonly used…
Superconducting Nb thin films with rectangular arrays of submicron antidots have been systemically investigated by transport measurements. In low fields, the magnetoresistance curves demonstrate well-defined dips at integral and rational…
Continued advances in superconducting qubit performance require more detailed understandings of the many sources of decoherence. Within these devices, two-level systems arise due to defects, interfaces, and grain boundaries, and are thought…
The in-situ growth of superconducting MgB2 thin films was examined from various perspectives. The paper discusses (1) growth temperature, (2) the effect of excess Mg, (3) the effect of residual gas during growth, (4) the effect of in-situ…
Superconducting and normal state properties of sputtered Niobium nanofilms have been systematically investigated, as a function of film thickness in a d=9-90 nm range, on different substrates. The width of the superconducting-to-normal…
We report the effect of annealing on the superconductivity of MgB2 thin films as functions of the postannealing temperature in the range from 700 C to 950 C and of the postannealing time in the range from 30 min to 120 min. On annealing at…
Superconducting films of alpha-Ta are promising candidates for the fabrication of advanced superconducting qubits. However, alpha-Ta films suffer from many growth-induced structural inadequacies that negatively affect their performance. We…
Epitaxial NbO2 (110) films, 20 nm thick, were grown by pulsed laser deposition on Al2O3 (0001) substrates. The Ar/O2 total pressure during growth was varied to demonstrate the gradual transformation between NbO2 and Nb2O5 phases, which was…
The performance of superconducting qubits is orders of magnitude below what is expected from theoretical estimates based on the loss tangents of the constituent bulk materials. This has been attributed to the presence of uncontrolled…
We have studied the thickness-induced superconductor-to-insulator transition in the presence of a magnetic field for a-NbSi thin films. Analyzing the critical behavior of this system within the "dirty boson model", we have found a critical…