Henry LeDuc

A 4-8 GHz Kinetic Inductance Travelling-Wave Parametric Amplifier Using Four-Wave Mixing with Near Quantum-Limit Noise Performance

  1. Farzad Faramarzi,
  2. Ryan Stephenson,
  3. Sasha Sypkens,
  4. Byeong H. Eom,
  5. Henry LeDuc,
  6. and Peter Day
Kinetic inductance traveling-wave parametric amplifiers (KI-TWPA) have a wide instantaneous bandwidth with near quantum-limited sensitivity and a relatively high dynamic range. Because
of this, they are suitable readout devices for cryogenic detectors and superconducting qubits and have a variety of applications in quantum sensing. This work discusses the design, fabrication, and performance of a KI-TWPA based on four-wave mixing in a NbTiN microstrip transmission line. This device amplifies a signal band from 4 to 8~GHz without contamination from image tones, which are produced in a separate higher frequency band. The 4 – 8~GHz band is commonly used to read out cryogenic detectors, such as microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) and Josephson junction-based qubits. We report a measured maximum gain of over 20 dB using four-wave mixing with a 1-dB gain compression point of -58 dBm at 15 dB of gain over that band. The bandwidth and peak gain are tunable by adjusting the pump-tone frequency and power. Using a Y-factor method, we measure an amplifier-added noise of 0.5≤Nadded≤1.5 photons from 4.5 – 8 GHz.
arxiv pdf

Plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of titanium nitride for superconducting devices

  1. John Femi-Oyetoro,
  2. Sasha Sypkens,
  3. Henry LeDuc,
  4. Matthew Dickie,
  5. Andrew Beyer,
  6. Peter Day,
  7. and Frank Greer
This study presents a comprehensive investigation into the exceptional superconducting attributes of titanium nitride (TiN) achieved through plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition
(PEALD) on both planar and intricate three-dimensional (3D) structures. We introduced an additional substrate biasing cycle to densify the film and remove ligand residues, augmenting the properties while minimizing impurities. While reactive-sputtered TiN films exhibit high quality, our technique ensures superior uniformity by consistently maintaining a desired sheet resistance greater than 95 percent across a 6inch wafer, a critical aspect for fabricating extensive arrays of superconducting devices and optimizing wafer yield. Moreover, our films demonstrate exceptional similarity to conventional reactive-sputtered films, consistently reaching a critical temperature (Tc) of 4.35 K with a thickness of around 40 nm. This marks a notable achievement compared to previously reported ALD-based superconducting TiN. Using the same process as for planar films, we obtained Tc for aspect ratios (ARs) ranging from 2 to 40, observing a Tc of approximately 2 K for ARs between 2 and 10.5. We elucidate the mechanisms contributing to the limitations and degradation of superconducting properties over these aggressive 3D structures. Our results seamlessly align with both current and next-generation superconducting technologies, meeting stringent criteria for thin-film constraints, large-scale deposition, conformality, 3D integration schemes, and yield optimization.
arxiv pdf