(Invited) Atomic Layer Deposition of Superconductors

Abstract

We report the use of atomic layer deposition (ALD) to synthesize thin superconducting films and multilayer superconductor-insulator (S-I) hetero-structures. ALD being applied to superconducting films opens the way for a variety of applications, including improving the performance and decreasing the cost of high energy particle accelerators, superconducting wires for energy storage, and bolometers for radiation detection. Furthermore, the atomic-scale thickness control afforded by ALD enables the study of superconductivity and associated phenomena in homogeneous layers in the ultra-thin film limit. Two-dimensional superconductivity in such films is of interest from a fundamental point of view, as a new effect has recently been discovered at ultra-low temperature in thin superconducting films made by ALD: the super-insulating transition. The discovery of a new state with apparently infinite resistivity in ultra-thin ALD films offers both a platform to explore new physics as well as the promise, on a longer term, of new opportunities for loss electronics and detectors.