Strained single-crystal Al2 O3 grown layer by layer on Nb (110) thin films

Paul B. Welander; James N. Eckstein

doi:10.1063/1.2747675

Strained single-crystal Al2 O3 grown layer by layer on Nb (110) thin films

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Abstract

The authors report on the growth of single-crystal Al2 O3 thin films on Nb (110) surfaces. Niobium is grown on α- Al2 O3 (11 2- 0), followed by the evaporation of Al in an O2 background. Initially, Al2 O3 grows layer by layer with hexagonal symmetry indicating either α- Al2 O3 (0001) or γ- Al2 O3 (111). Diffraction measurements show that the Al2 O3 initially grows clamped to the Nb with tensile strain near 10%. This strain relaxes with further deposition and beyond about 50 Å, the authors observe island growth. Despite the asymmetric misfit between Al2 O3 and Nb, the strain is surprisingly isotropic. Josephson junctions employing epitaxial Al2 O3 show low effective tunnel barriers and high leakage currents.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	243510
Journal	Applied Physics Letters
Volume	90
Issue number	24
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2747675
State	Published - 2007

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)

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title = "Strained single-crystal Al2 O3 grown layer by layer on Nb (110) thin films",

abstract = "The authors report on the growth of single-crystal Al2 O3 thin films on Nb (110) surfaces. Niobium is grown on α- Al2 O3 (11 2- 0), followed by the evaporation of Al in an O2 background. Initially, Al2 O3 grows layer by layer with hexagonal symmetry indicating either α- Al2 O3 (0001) or γ- Al2 O3 (111). Diffraction measurements show that the Al2 O3 initially grows clamped to the Nb with tensile strain near 10%. This strain relaxes with further deposition and beyond about 50 {\AA}, the authors observe island growth. Despite the asymmetric misfit between Al2 O3 and Nb, the strain is surprisingly isotropic. Josephson junctions employing epitaxial Al2 O3 show low effective tunnel barriers and high leakage currents.",

author = "Welander, {Paul B.} and Eckstein, {James N.}",

note = "Funding Information: AFM and XRD analyses were carried out in the Center for Microanalysis of Materials, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which is partially supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Grant No. DEFG02-91ER45439. This project was funded by the National Science Foundation through Grant No. EIA 01-21568. ",

year = "2007",

doi = "10.1063/1.2747675",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "90",

journal = "Applied Physics Letters",

issn = "0003-6951",

publisher = "American Institute of Physics Publising LLC",

number = "24",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Strained single-crystal Al2 O3 grown layer by layer on Nb (110) thin films

AU - Welander, Paul B.

AU - Eckstein, James N.

N1 - Funding Information: AFM and XRD analyses were carried out in the Center for Microanalysis of Materials, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which is partially supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Grant No. DEFG02-91ER45439. This project was funded by the National Science Foundation through Grant No. EIA 01-21568.

PY - 2007

Y1 - 2007

N2 - The authors report on the growth of single-crystal Al2 O3 thin films on Nb (110) surfaces. Niobium is grown on α- Al2 O3 (11 2- 0), followed by the evaporation of Al in an O2 background. Initially, Al2 O3 grows layer by layer with hexagonal symmetry indicating either α- Al2 O3 (0001) or γ- Al2 O3 (111). Diffraction measurements show that the Al2 O3 initially grows clamped to the Nb with tensile strain near 10%. This strain relaxes with further deposition and beyond about 50 Å, the authors observe island growth. Despite the asymmetric misfit between Al2 O3 and Nb, the strain is surprisingly isotropic. Josephson junctions employing epitaxial Al2 O3 show low effective tunnel barriers and high leakage currents.

AB - The authors report on the growth of single-crystal Al2 O3 thin films on Nb (110) surfaces. Niobium is grown on α- Al2 O3 (11 2- 0), followed by the evaporation of Al in an O2 background. Initially, Al2 O3 grows layer by layer with hexagonal symmetry indicating either α- Al2 O3 (0001) or γ- Al2 O3 (111). Diffraction measurements show that the Al2 O3 initially grows clamped to the Nb with tensile strain near 10%. This strain relaxes with further deposition and beyond about 50 Å, the authors observe island growth. Despite the asymmetric misfit between Al2 O3 and Nb, the strain is surprisingly isotropic. Josephson junctions employing epitaxial Al2 O3 show low effective tunnel barriers and high leakage currents.

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DO - 10.1063/1.2747675

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SN - 0003-6951

IS - 24

M1 - 243510

ER -

Strained single-crystal Al2 O3 grown layer by layer on Nb (110) thin films

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