The influence of pinholes and weak-points in aluminium-oxide Josephson junctions

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Bayros, K., Cyster, M. J., Smith, J. S., Cole, J. H.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2023
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author Bayros, K.
Cyster, M. J.
Smith, J. S.
Cole, J. H.
author_facet Bayros, K.
Cyster, M. J.
Smith, J. S.
Cole, J. H.
contents Josephson junctions are the key components used in superconducting qubits for quantum computing. The advancement of quantum computing is limited by a lack of stability and reproducibility of qubits which ultimately originates in the amorphous tunnel barrier of the Josephson junctions and other material imperfections. Pinholes in the junction have been suggested as one of the possible contributors to these instabilities, but evidence of their existence and the effect they might have on transport is unclear. We use molecular dynamics to create three-dimensional atomistic models to describe Al-AlOx-Al tunnel junctions, showing that pinholes form when oxidation of the barrier is incomplete. Following this we use the atomistic model and simulate the electronic transport properties for tunnel junctions with different barrier thicknesses using the non-equilibrium Green's function formalism. We observe that pinholes may contribute to excess quasiparticle current flow in Al-AlOx-Al tunnel junctions with thinner barriers, and in thicker barriers we observe weak-points which facilitate leakage currents even when the oxide is continuous. We find that the disordered nature of the amorphous barrier results in significant variations in the transport properties. Additionally, we determine the current-phase relationship for our atomistic structures, confirming that devices with pinholes and weak-points cause a deviation from the ideal sinusoidal Josephson relationship.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2311_15560
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The influence of pinholes and weak-points in aluminium-oxide Josephson junctions
Bayros, K.
Cyster, M. J.
Smith, J. S.
Cole, J. H.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Superconductivity
Quantum Physics
Josephson junctions are the key components used in superconducting qubits for quantum computing. The advancement of quantum computing is limited by a lack of stability and reproducibility of qubits which ultimately originates in the amorphous tunnel barrier of the Josephson junctions and other material imperfections. Pinholes in the junction have been suggested as one of the possible contributors to these instabilities, but evidence of their existence and the effect they might have on transport is unclear. We use molecular dynamics to create three-dimensional atomistic models to describe Al-AlOx-Al tunnel junctions, showing that pinholes form when oxidation of the barrier is incomplete. Following this we use the atomistic model and simulate the electronic transport properties for tunnel junctions with different barrier thicknesses using the non-equilibrium Green's function formalism. We observe that pinholes may contribute to excess quasiparticle current flow in Al-AlOx-Al tunnel junctions with thinner barriers, and in thicker barriers we observe weak-points which facilitate leakage currents even when the oxide is continuous. We find that the disordered nature of the amorphous barrier results in significant variations in the transport properties. Additionally, we determine the current-phase relationship for our atomistic structures, confirming that devices with pinholes and weak-points cause a deviation from the ideal sinusoidal Josephson relationship.
title The influence of pinholes and weak-points in aluminium-oxide Josephson junctions
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Superconductivity
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.15560