Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Superconductor Science and Technology

Increased quality factor in superconducting microstrip resonators by selective removal of the gold contact layer

Ralf Schneider, A. G. Zaitsev, Jochen Geerk, G. Linker, F. Ratzel, R. Smithey

Published Jan 9, 2002• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present measurements of the unloaded quality factor of superconducting microstrip resonators at 77 K and 3.86 GHz. The resonators were made of 0.3 μm thick YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 films with a transition temperature of 90 K on both sides of ceria-buffered 3 inch sapphire wafers. In particular, we investigated the effect of a 0.3 μm thick gold contact layer on the resonator performance. It was found that the gold layer decreases the quality factor by a factor of almost 5. This result is due to an additional microwave loss in the gold film which can be quantitatively described by the impedance transformation rules for transmission lines. On the basis of the quantitative analysis, we suggest a selective removal of the contact layer by appropriate patterning in order to eliminate the extra loss without deterioration of the low-ohmic galvanic contact to the microwave housing. The experimental results demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed method. Their comparison with the calculated surface current density in the ground plane shows that the contact layer has to be in an area where the current is zero. Furthermore, the results reveal that the surface current density distribution in the ground plane and microstrip depends on the microwave power.

DOI
10.1088/0953-2048/15/2/305

Related papers

Evaluation of quality factors in superconductor microresonators with proximity enhancement

Yongchao Tang, Olaf W. B. Benningshof, Hamid Reza Mohebbi +2 more

The quality factor of microstrip line resonators made of 20/50/20 nm Nb/NbN/Nb trilayer films has been calculated as microwave transmission through the cascade of three single layers, and in agreement with experimental data. Each layer is evaluated with an explicit extended Zimmermann expression. The formula is generalized from the standard expression by including electron mean free path and the imaginary part of the gap energy of the material [1]. The quality factor of the microresonator consisting of a 50 nm thick single layer Nb film is also calculated by this compact expression and quantitatively agrees with the measured results as well. The quality factor of the microresonator made of trilayer films is shown to be larger than that of the microresonator with only a single Nb film.

IEEE International Conference on Nanotechnology (IEEE-NANO)•Aug 1, 2014•1 citation

The effect of niobium thin film structure on losses in superconducting circuits

Maxwell Drimmer, Sjoerd Telkamp, Felix L. Fischer +7 more

The performance of superconducting microwave circuits is strongly influenced by the material properties of the superconducting film and substrate. While progress has been made in understanding the importance of surface preparation and the effect of surface oxides, the complex effect of superconductor film structure on microwave losses is not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigate the microwave properties of niobium resonators with different crystalline properties and related surface topographies. We analyze a series of magnetron sputtered films in which the Nb crystal orientation and surface topography are changed by varying the substrate temperatures between room temperature and 975 K. The lowest-loss resonators that we measure have quality factors of over one million at single-photon powers, among the best ever recorded using the Nb on sapphire platform. We observe the highest quality factors in films grown at an intermediate temperature regime of the growth series (550 K) where the films display both preferential ordering of the crystal domains and low surface roughness. Furthermore, we analyze the temperature-dependent behavior of our resonators to learn about how the quasiparticle density in the Nb film is affected by the niobium crystal structure and the presence of grain boundaries. Our results stress the connection between the crystal structure of superconducting films and the loss mechanisms suffered by the resonators and demonstrate that even a moderate change in temperature during thin film deposition can significantly affect the resulting quality factors.

arXiv:2403.12164•Mar 18, 2024•5 citations

The effect of niobium thin film structure on losses in superconducting circuits

Maxwell Drimmer, Sjoerd Telkamp, Felix L. Fischer +7 more

The performance of superconducting microwave circuits is strongly influenced by the material properties of the superconducting film and substrate. While progress has been made in understanding the importance of surface preparation and the effect of surface oxides, the complex effect of superconductor film structure on microwave losses is not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigate the microwave properties of niobium resonators with different crystalline properties and related surface topographies. We analyze a series of magnetron sputtered films in which the Nb crystal orientation and surface topography are changed by varying the substrate temperatures between room temperature and 975K. The lowest-loss resonators that we measure have quality factors of over 106 at single-photon powers, among the best ever recorded using the Nb on sapphire platform. We observe the highest quality factors in films grown at an intermediate temperature regime of the growth series (550K) where the films display both preferential ordering of the crystal domains and low surface roughness. Furthermore, we analyze the temperature-dependent behavior of our resonators to learn about how the quasiparticle density in the Nb film is affected by the niobium crystal structure and the presence of grain boundaries. Our results stress the connection between the crystal structure of superconducting films and the loss mechanisms suffered by the resonators and indicate that even a moderate change in temperature during thin film deposition can significantly affect the resulting quality factors.

•Nov 5, 2025•0 citations

The effect of niobium thin film structure on losses in superconducting circuits

Maxwell Drimmer, Sjoerd Telkamp, Felix L Fischer +7 more

Abstract The performance of superconducting microwave circuits is strongly influenced by the material properties of the superconducting film and substrate. While progress has been made in understanding the importance of surface preparation and the effect of surface oxides, the complex effect of superconductor film structure on microwave losses is not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigate the microwave properties of niobium resonators with different crystalline properties and related surface topographies. We analyze a series of magnetron sputtered films in which the Nb crystal orientation and surface topography are changed by varying the substrate temperatures between room temperature and 975 K. The lowest-loss resonators that we measure have quality factors of over 10 6 at single-photon powers, among the best ever recorded using the Nb on sapphire platform. We observe the highest quality factors in films grown at an intermediate temperature regime of the growth series (550 K) where the films display both preferential ordering of the crystal domains and low surface roughness. Furthermore, we analyze the temperature-dependent behavior of our resonators to learn about how the quasiparticle density in the Nb film is affected by the niobium crystal structure and the presence of grain boundaries. Our results stress the connection between the crystal structure of superconducting films and the loss mechanisms suffered by the resonators and indicate that even a moderate change in temperature during thin film deposition can significantly affect the resulting quality factors.

Materials for Quantum Technology•Oct 14, 2025•4 citations

Loss Dependence on Geometry and Applied Power in Superconducting Coplanar Resonators

Moe S. Khalil, F. C. Wellstood, Kevin D. Osborn

The loss in superconducting microwave resonators at low-photon numbers and low temperatures is not well understood but has implications for achievable coherence times in superconducting qubits. We have fabricated single-layer resonators with a high quality factor by patterning a superconducting aluminum film on a sapphire substrate. Four resonator geometries were studied with resonant frequencies ranging from 5 to 7 GHz: a quasi-lumped element resonator, a coplanar strip waveguide resonator, and two hybrid designs that contain both a coplanar strip and a quasi-lumped element. Transmitted power measurements were taken at 30 mK as a function of frequency and probe power. We find that the resonator loss, expressed as the inverse of the internal quality factor, decreases slowly over four decades of photon number in a manner not merely explained by loss from a conventional uniform spatial distribution of two-level systems in an oxide layer on the superconducting surfaces of the resonator.

arXiv:1008.2929•IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity•Dec 9, 2010•69 citations

Microwave Losses in YBCO Coplanar Waveguide Resonators at Low Power and Millikelvin Range

M. Arzeo, Floriana Lombardi, Thilo Bauch

We have investigated the temperature dependence of microwave losses in the low-power limit and millikelvin temperature range of a thin-film YBa2Cu3O7-x(YBCO) λ/2 coplanar waveguide resonator patterned on a (La0.3Sr0.7) (Al0.65Ta0.35)O3(LSAT) substrate covered by a CeO2seed layer. The unloaded quality factor is mainly governed by the surface resistance of the YBCO film and the dielectric losses caused by resonant absorption due to a bath of two-level fluctuators in the dielectrics. The value of the unloaded quality factor at 20 mK and low power, i.e., Q0≃2000, allows for the realization of YBCO microwave quantum circuits implementing biepitaxial grain-boundary Josephson junctions.

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity•Oct 24, 2014•6 citations
We present measurements of the unloaded quality factor of superconducting microstrip resonators at 77 K and 3.86 GHz. The resonators were made of 0.3 μm thick YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 films with a transition temperature of 90 K on both sides of ceria-buffered 3 inch sapphire wafers. In particular, we investigated the effect of a 0.3 μm thick gold contact layer on the resonator performance. It was found that the gold layer decreases the quality factor by a factor of almost 5. This result is due to an additional microwave loss in the gold film which can be quantitatively described by the impedance transformation rules for transmission lines. On the basis of the quantitative analysis, we suggest a selective removal of the contact layer by appropriate patterning in order to eliminate the extra loss without deterioration of the low-ohmic galvanic contact to the microwave housing. The experimental results demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed method. Their comparison with the calculated surface current density in the ground plane shows that the contact layer has to be in an area where the current is zero. Furthermore, the results reveal that the surface current density distribution in the ground plane and microstrip depends on the microwave power.
The quality factor of microstrip line resonators made of 20/50/20 nm Nb/NbN/Nb trilayer films has been calculated as microwave transmission through the cascade of three single layers, and in agreement with experimental data. Each layer is evaluated with an explicit extended Zimmermann expression. The formula is generalized from the standard expression by including electron mean free path and the imaginary part of the gap energy of the material [1]. The quality factor of the microresonator consisting of a 50 nm thick single layer Nb film is also calculated by this compact expression and quantitatively agrees with the measured results as well. The quality factor of the microresonator made of trilayer films is shown to be larger than that of the microresonator with only a single Nb film.
The performance of superconducting microwave circuits is strongly influenced by the material properties of the superconducting film and substrate. While progress has been made in understanding the importance of surface preparation and the effect of surface oxides, the complex effect of superconductor film structure on microwave losses is not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigate the microwave properties of niobium resonators with different crystalline properties and related surface topographies. We analyze a series of magnetron sputtered films in which the Nb crystal orientation and surface topography are changed by varying the substrate temperatures between room temperature and 975 K. The lowest-loss resonators that we measure have quality factors of over one million at single-photon powers, among the best ever recorded using the Nb on sapphire platform. We observe the highest quality factors in films grown at an intermediate temperature regime of the growth series (550 K) where the films display both preferential ordering of the crystal domains and low surface roughness. Furthermore, we analyze the temperature-dependent behavior of our resonators to learn about how the quasiparticle density in the Nb film is affected by the niobium crystal structure and the presence of grain boundaries. Our results stress the connection between the crystal structure of superconducting films and the loss mechanisms suffered by the resonators and demonstrate that even a moderate change in temperature during thin film deposition can significantly affect the resulting quality factors.
The performance of superconducting microwave circuits is strongly influenced by the material properties of the superconducting film and substrate. While progress has been made in understanding the importance of surface preparation and the effect of surface oxides, the complex effect of superconductor film structure on microwave losses is not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigate the microwave properties of niobium resonators with different crystalline properties and related surface topographies. We analyze a series of magnetron sputtered films in which the Nb crystal orientation and surface topography are changed by varying the substrate temperatures between room temperature and 975K. The lowest-loss resonators that we measure have quality factors of over 106 at single-photon powers, among the best ever recorded using the Nb on sapphire platform. We observe the highest quality factors in films grown at an intermediate temperature regime of the growth series (550K) where the films display both preferential ordering of the crystal domains and low surface roughness. Furthermore, we analyze the temperature-dependent behavior of our resonators to learn about how the quasiparticle density in the Nb film is affected by the niobium crystal structure and the presence of grain boundaries. Our results stress the connection between the crystal structure of superconducting films and the loss mechanisms suffered by the resonators and indicate that even a moderate change in temperature during thin film deposition can significantly affect the resulting quality factors.
Abstract The performance of superconducting microwave circuits is strongly influenced by the material properties of the superconducting film and substrate. While progress has been made in understanding the importance of surface preparation and the effect of surface oxides, the complex effect of superconductor film structure on microwave losses is not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigate the microwave properties of niobium resonators with different crystalline properties and related surface topographies. We analyze a series of magnetron sputtered films in which the Nb crystal orientation and surface topography are changed by varying the substrate temperatures between room temperature and 975 K. The lowest-loss resonators that we measure have quality factors of over 10 6 at single-photon powers, among the best ever recorded using the Nb on sapphire platform. We observe the highest quality factors in films grown at an intermediate temperature regime of the growth series (550 K) where the films display both preferential ordering of the crystal domains and low surface roughness. Furthermore, we analyze the temperature-dependent behavior of our resonators to learn about how the quasiparticle density in the Nb film is affected by the niobium crystal structure and the presence of grain boundaries. Our results stress the connection between the crystal structure of superconducting films and the loss mechanisms suffered by the resonators and indicate that even a moderate change in temperature during thin film deposition can significantly affect the resulting quality factors.
The loss in superconducting microwave resonators at low-photon numbers and low temperatures is not well understood but has implications for achievable coherence times in superconducting qubits. We have fabricated single-layer resonators with a high quality factor by patterning a superconducting aluminum film on a sapphire substrate. Four resonator geometries were studied with resonant frequencies ranging from 5 to 7 GHz: a quasi-lumped element resonator, a coplanar strip waveguide resonator, and two hybrid designs that contain both a coplanar strip and a quasi-lumped element. Transmitted power measurements were taken at 30 mK as a function of frequency and probe power. We find that the resonator loss, expressed as the inverse of the internal quality factor, decreases slowly over four decades of photon number in a manner not merely explained by loss from a conventional uniform spatial distribution of two-level systems in an oxide layer on the superconducting surfaces of the resonator.
We have investigated the temperature dependence of microwave losses in the low-power limit and millikelvin temperature range of a thin-film YBa2Cu3O7-x(YBCO) λ/2 coplanar waveguide resonator patterned on a (La0.3Sr0.7) (Al0.65Ta0.35)O3(LSAT) substrate covered by a CeO2seed layer. The unloaded quality factor is mainly governed by the surface resistance of the YBCO film and the dielectric losses caused by resonant absorption due to a bath of two-level fluctuators in the dielectrics. The value of the unloaded quality factor at 20 mK and low power, i.e., Q0≃2000, allows for the realization of YBCO microwave quantum circuits implementing biepitaxial grain-boundary Josephson junctions.