• DocumentCode
    1009443
  • Title

    Nb metallurgical transformations occurring in the microbridge area of an rf SQUID during its critical current adjustment

  • Author

    Monfort, Y. ; Bloyet, D. ; Villegier, J.C. ; Duret, D.

  • Author_Institution
    I.S.M.Ra, Université de Caen, CAEN Cedex, France
  • Volume
    21
  • Issue
    2
  • fYear
    1985
  • fDate
    3/1/1985 12:00:00 AM
  • Firstpage
    866
  • Lastpage
    869
  • Abstract
    We describe the metallurgical transformations of Nb thin-film Dayem microbridges related to the adjustment of their critical current at operating temperature (4.2 K). The critical current is reduced to a few tens of microamperes when the microbridge is submitted to proper current pulses. Subsequent Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) observations show an increase of the mean Nb grain size in the microbridge area. Nb contamination by the silicon substrate is also observed, Both critical temperature and critical current decreases are attributed to these pnenomena.
  • Keywords
    Josephson devices; Contamination; Critical current; Grain size; Niobium; SQUIDs; Silicon; Substrates; Temperature; Transistors; Transmission electron microscopy;
  • fLanguage
    English
  • Journal_Title
    Magnetics, IEEE Transactions on
  • Publisher
    ieee
  • ISSN
    0018-9464
  • Type

    jour

  • DOI
    10.1109/TMAG.1985.1063747
  • Filename
    1063747