• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.481-492
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• 2004

We report the successful fabrication and I-V curve superconductivity test results of the Nb/Al-based superconducting tunnel junctions. STJs with side-lengths of 20, 40, 60 and $80{\mu}m$ were fabricated by deposition of polycrystalline Nb/Al/AlOx/Al/Nb 5-layer thin films incorporated on a 3-inch Si wafer. STJ was designed by $Tanner^{TM}$ L-Edit 8.3 program, and fabricated in SQUID fabrication facility, KRISS. S-layer STJ thin-films were fabricated using UV photolithography, DC magnetron sputtering, Reactive ion etching, and CVD(Chemical Vapor Deposition) techniques. Superconducting state test for STJ was succeeded in 4K with liquid helium cooling system. Their performance indicators such ie energy gap, normal resistance, normal resistivity, dynamic resistance, dynamic resistivity, and quality factor were measured from I-V curve. Fabricated Nb/Al STJ shows $11\%$ higher FWHM energy resolution than genuine Nb STJ.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.110-113
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• 2011

We have grown a Nb/Gd bilayer on a$SiO_2$/Si substrate by using a DC magnetron sputtering system, which was fabricated in situ with silicon stencil masks. In order to investigate proximity effect of the Nb/Gd bilayer, we used a planar tunnel junction with an AlOx tunnel barrier by oxidizing the Al ground electrode at the bottom. A $Co_{60}Fe_{40}$ backing of Al was deposited so as to reduce the superconductivity of the Al, ensuring a normal counterelectrode. With a 50-nm-thick Nb layer, we have measured dI/dV (dynamic conductance) by varying the thickness of Gd, which can reveal the density of states (DOS) of the Nb/Gd bilayer as a function of the Gd thickness resulting from the proximity effect of a superconductor/ferromagnet bilayer (S/F). The SF proximity effect in Nb/Gd will be discussed in comparison to our previous results of the CoFe/Nb, Ni/Nb and CuNi/Nb proximity effect; Gd is expected to show different effects since Gd has f-electrons, while CoFe, Ni, and CuNi have only d-electrons. Our studies will focus on the triplet correlation in a superconducting pair.

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Applied Superconductivity and Cryogenics Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.103-105
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• 2003

The high speed of RSFQ circuits is based on the self-resetting in the overdamped Josephson junctions. The SIS technology using Nb/A1$_2$O$_3$/Nb trilayer has been successfully adopted as a standard technology. However the newly suggested SINIS technology attracts interest because the junction itself is overdamped without any external shunt, and provides possibility of simplification of RSFQ circuit design and fabrication. In this paper we demonstrate RSFQ circuit fabrication process using SINIS technology.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.37.3-37.3
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• 2008

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.

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Applied Superconductivity and Cryogenics Conference
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• 2003.02a
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• pp.143-145
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• 2003

External shunt resistor is used in Nb/AlOx/Nb Josephson junction which is basic component of RSFQ circuit. This is to increase damping and to make the so called 'self-reset' optimized for high speed operation. In this study, we fabricated and investigated sheet resistance of Pd and PdAu thin film, and simulated the inductance effect of the shunt resistor to the Josepshon junction dynamics.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics A
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• v.30A no.10
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• pp.12-19
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• 1993

Because of their high sensitivity and moderate bandwidth, superconducting receivers with SIS (Superconductor Insulator Superconductor) tunnel junction mixer are now widely used for millimeter wave radio astronomy. In this paper we have introduced how to determine the parameters of SIS tunnel junction which have to be optimized to achieve a good mixer performance. From these results of optimized junction parameters determined by this methods, SIS junctions which consist of a series array of four Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb junctions with each area 3.4${\mu}m^{2}$ have been fabricated by SNEP (Selective Niobium Etching Process) and RIE (Reactive Ion Eching). Also we have tested their DC current-voltage characteristics. These SIS junctions will be used as a mixer for 100GHz band cosmic waves receiver.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics A
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• v.33A no.6
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• pp.90-98
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• 1996

We have evaluated the theoretical conversion loss and noise temperature of mixer using the quantum mixer theory and the method to determine the embedding impedance of waveguide-type mixer mount. At fixed backshort position of the mixer, the calculated SSB mixer conversion loss and mixer noise temperature are 5 dB and 10K within frequency range form 85 GHz to 115 GHz, respectively. The SIS mixer has been developed by using through on the calculated rsutls to observe cosmic radio waves. SIS junction of mixer is Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb and it consists of four series array. Area of each of junction is about 2.5${\mu}m^{2}$. The average receiver noise temperature of manufactured receiver with this mixer is about 30 K(DSB). The receiver noise temperature is much lower than that of receiver with a mixer using mechanical tuning backshort.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2003

We designed and constructed a multichannel superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer system to measure magnetic fields from the human brain. We used a new type of SQUID, the double relaxation oscillation SQUID (DROS). With high flux-to-voltage transfers of the DROS, about 10 times larger than the dc SQUIDs, simple flux-locked loop circuits could be used for SQUID operation. Also the large modulation voltage of the DROS, typically being 100 $mutextrm{V}$, enabled stable flux-locked loop operation against the thermal offset voltage drift of the preamplifier. The magnetometers were fabricated using the Nb/AlOx/Nb junction technology. The SQUID system consists of 37 signal magnetometers, distributed on a semispherical surface, and 11 reference channels were installed to pickup background noises. External feedback was used to eliminate the magnetic coupling with the adjacent channels. The liquid helium dewar has a capacity of 29 L and boil-off rate of about 4 L/d with the total 48 channel insert. The magnetometer system has an average noise level of 3 fT/√Hz at 100 Hz, inside a shielded loon, and was applied to measure auditory-evoked fields.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.99-101
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• 2012

Fluorescent yield X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy is useful for analyzing local structure of specific elements in matrices. We developed an XAFS apparatus with a 100-pixel superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) detector array with a high sensitivity and a high resolution for light-element dopants in wide-gap semiconductors. An STJ detector has a pixel size of $100{\mu}m$ square, and an asymmetric layer structure of Nb(300 nm)-Al(70 nm)/AlOx/Al(70 nm)-Nb(50 nm). The 100-pixel STJ array has an effective area of $1mm^2$. The XAFS apparatus with the STJ array detector was installed in BL-11A of High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Photon Factory (KEK PF). Fluorescent X-ray spectrum for boron nitride showed that the average energy resolution of the 100-pixels is 12 eV in full width half maximum for the N-K line, and The C-K and N-K lines are separated without peak tail overlap. We analyzed the N dopant atoms implanted into 4H-SiC substrates at a dose of 300 ppm in a 200 nm-thick surface layer. From a comparison between measured X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) spectra and ab initio FEFF calculations, it has been revealed that the N atoms substitute for the C site of the SiC lattice.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.5-9
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• 2008

Cordierite has a very low thermal expansion coefficient, but has problem that it has a weak mechanical strength and is apt to be attacked by acid such as sulfur for using as a diesel particulate filter support. The physical properties of $ZrTiO_4$ modified with $SiO_2,\;Al_2O_3$, MoOx, $Cr_2O_3\;and\;Nb_2O_5$ were investigated with XRD, SEM, UTM and thermal expansion, etc. in this paper. $ZrTiO_4$ powder was synthesized as a monoclinic structure with processes that starting materials of $TiO_2\;and\;ZrO_2$ were mixed with ball mill and calcined above $1240^{\circ}C$ for 3 hr. Additive modified $ZrTiO_4$ specimens for flexural strength and thermal expansion measurement were obtained by mixing $ZrTiO_4$ powder with additives, pressing and firing at $1300^{\circ}C$ for 3 hr. The porosity of additive modified $ZrTiO_4$ decreased monotonically with increasing additive content by 5 wt% regardless of additive types and saturated for further increase of additive by 10wt. The flexural strength of $Al_2O_3$ (5, 10 wt%) modified $ZrTiO_4$ shows a large increase, but that of other additives modified $ZrTiO_4$ decreased. The thermal expansion coefficient of additive modified $ZrTiO_4$ except $Nb_2O_5$ decreased continuously with the content of additive. In particular, the lowest thermal expansion coefficient of $ZrTiO_4$ was obtained for the additive of $SiO_2$.