Current Progress in Fabrication of Ta and Nb based STJs for an Astronomical Detector

  • Published : 2008.10.22

Abstract

STJ(Superconducting Tunnel Junction) technique offers next generation photon detectors exhibiting high energy resolution, high quantum efficiency and photon counting ability over the broad wavelength range from X-ray to NIR. We report the succcess in fabrication of Ta/Al-AlOx-Al/Ta and Nb/Al-AlOx-Al/Nb micro structure deposited on sapphire substrates using various techniques including UV photolithography, DC Sputtering, RIE, and PECVD technique. The characterization experiment was undertaken in an Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator at an operating temperature below 50mK. The details of experimental investigations for electrical characterization of STJ of $20\sim80{\mu}m$ in side-lengths are discussed. The measured I-V curves were used to derive The detector performance indicators such as energy gap, energy resolution, normal resistance, normal resistivity, dynamic resistance, dynamic resistivity, and quality factor.

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