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I
I AS
AS DEPOSITED
DEPOSITED x-
2 %%
0
X
X
AA
31
15
,.a*---
14 Figure 2. The RTA temperature dependence of Tc for
similar films deposited on different substrates at
2 dp'-\/ different temperatures. The error bars represent ATc
when larger than the plotting symbol.
I
4.48
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o AI203
o Si
2
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0
4.38 I I I I I I I
200400600 800 10001200
VOLTAGE (mV)
ANNEALINGTEMPERATURE ("C)
Figure 4. The
differential
resistance
dV/dI
of
(4 NbN/Si/NbN edge junctions before and after RTA. Note
the increased gaps after annealing.
thebarrier.Inallcases , however,cleargap
200 structure was apparent. The minima in the dV/dI-V at
the individual electrode gaps have moved to higher
4
I voltages after RTA indicating an improvement in the
fi 160 quality of the NbCN within a coherence length of the
junction interfaces in both electrodes. The counter
5 Ig electrode gap improved from 1.80 to 1.92 mV and the
base electrode gap improved from2.66 to 2.82 mV. The
0
- AS DEPOSITED X improvement in the base electrode, which was deposited
~801
/ \
f ' underoptimum
unexpectedat
the
RF biasconditionsat
750'C RTA
temperature.
85OoC, was
This
indicates that considerable damage was done to the
surfaceofthe NbN baseelectrodeinsubsequent
processing steps, either in plasma etching the edge or
I I I I I I I duringsputtercleaningandbarrierandcpunter
0 200400600
80010001200 electrodedepositions. Us? ofaplanartechnology
ANNEALING TEMPERATURE ("Cl wouldalleviatetheformerpossibility.However,
similar RTA of NbN/Si/Nb planar junctions did not
(b) produce improved gap values. In fact the sum gap in
this case decreased from 4.0 mV to 3.85 mV after
Figure 3. The RTA temperature dependence of (a) the annealing. This decrease was apparently in the Nb
lattice parameter and (b) the grain size after 10 sec gap. In both the planar and edge junctions the width
anneals.
The
errorbars
in
(a)
representthe of the current rise at the sum gap decreased and the
difference between .a calculated from the (111) and subgap leakage increased during RTA. We also made
(200) reflections. planar NbN/Si/Nb junctions on NbN bases produced in
the same depostion but after subjecting one of the
basestoRTAat 900°C for 10 sec.Thejunction
temperature rise time from 4OO0C to 1000°C of the barriers and counter electrodes were deposited in the
thermocouple assembly was two sec. The time constant samerun.Therewas nosignificantdifferencein
tobe 0.1-
for thermal equilibrium in the substrate was estimated thesejunctions.Thussurfacedamageduetothe
secat 1000°C.
annealed in flowing argon for
Onesamplewasalso
10 sec at 1000°C and
sputter cleaning and barrier and counter electrode
deposition may be the limiting factor in our present
showed properties identical to those of the sample junction fabrication technology.
annealed under similar conditionsin nitrogen.
Conclusion
RTA of Tunnel Junctions
Wehaveinvestigatedtheeffectsofthermal
We have investigated the effects of RTA at 750'C annealing of €3 sputtered NbCN films and completed
for 10 sec on several completed junction structures NbN-based tunnel junctions. Vacuum annealing at 600'C
whosefabricationhasbeendescribedindetail for six hours increased the transition temperature of
elsewhere.13 This temperature was chosen since NbN films deposited at 200°C and 4OO0C to a value which
counterelectrodefilmsdepositedat150°Cshowed depended only on the carbon concentration. For films
increased T, after RTA at 75O0C without substantially grown at 400°C vacuum annealing at temperatures of
increased grain size. Large increases in grain size 900°C to 12OO0C for one hour caused the onset of
would presumably lead to punching through the barrier. second phase formation. However, the T, of the film
Annealing at 75OoC would also cause the amorphous annealed at 900°C was significantly improved. This
silicon barrier to transform to polysilicsn provided may be of some importancein producing NbN conductors
the reaction is not kinetically limited. Fig. 4 shows with high critical current densities. Rapid thermal
dV/dI-V characteristics of NbN/Si/NbN edge junctions annealing of similar NbCN films grown at 150°C and
both before and after RTA at 750°C for 10 sec. While 400°C
resulted in
increased T, with increased
these are not the same junction they are from the same annealingtemperature.Resistivitydecreasedafter
chip. The annealing treatment created microshorts in RTA. The maximum Tc produced by RTA was 16.6K while
850
the maximum Tc after vacuum annealing was 16.1K. We 10. E. J. Cukauskas, W. L. Carter and S. B. Qadri,
attribute thisdifference to the lack of second phase "Superconducting
and
StructureProperties
of
formation due to kinetic limitations during RTA. The Niobium
Nitride
Prepared
by RF Magnetron
lattice parameter of both vacuum annealed and rapid Sputtering," J. Appl. Phys., E, 2538-2542, 1985.
thermal annealed&-phase NbCN was decreased toward the
accepted value of 4.418. The distortion of the fcc 11. A. M. Cuculo, L. Maritato, A. Saggeseand R.
structure seen in our films was decreased and often Vaglio,
"Properties
ofNiobium
Nitride-based
eliminated by annealing. RTA of completed NbN/Si/NbN Josephson
Tunnel
Junctions," Cryogenics 6,
tunnel junctions at 75OoC for 10 sec increased both 45-47, 1984.
electrode gaps, but for NbN/Si/Nb junctions the sum
gap
was
decreased. In both
cases,
however, 12. E. K. Storms, "Inorganic Chemistry Series One,
microshorts appeared after annealing. RTA at 900°C SolidStateChemistry,"Butterworths,London,
for 10 sec of a NbN base electrode deposited at 400'C Vol. 10, p. 37, 1972.
before completion of the junction did not increase the
sum
gap.
This
indication
an
is that
our 13. E. J. Cukauskasand W. L. Carter,"Niobium
barrierlcounterelectrodedepositiontechniqueis Nitride Based Josephson Junctions with Unoxidized
limiting our junction quality. Further RTA studies are Silicon Barriers," this volume.
in progress.
Acknowledgements
References
4. J. Talvacchio
and A. I. Braginski, "Tunnel
Junctions Fabricated from Coherent NbN/MgO/NbN
and NbN/Al203/NbN Structures," this volume.
6. W. L. Carter, to be published.