CAREER: The Science and Engineering of the Nonvolatile Superconducting Switch

Yale University, New Haven CT

Investigators

Abstract

This CAREER project addresses materials science issues and properties of nonvolatile superconducting switches. The nature of the superconductor-insulator quantum phase transition will be studied from a basic science perspective, including the correlation of the longitudinal and transverse transport properties, the nature of the temperature dependence of the insulating state, and the interplay between disorder effects driving the localization of holes and interaction effects responsible for pairing holes and producing the quantum transition to a superconductor. Long-term goals include the application of scanning probe microscopy to write in a nonvolatile, reversible fashion nanoscale superconducting structures and devices, including small superconducting islands, wires, and electronic Josephson junctions. Ultrathin, epitaxial ferroelectric-superconductor heterostructures will be studied using advanced thin film deposition techniques such as off-axis radio frequency magnetron sputtering. Structural and electronic characterization of thin film heterostructures will be carried out using atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), nanoscale piezoelectric microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. Nanosecond pulse measurements to test the switching speed will be carried out, along with standard electronic transport measurements including resistivity, Hall effect, and mobility. A primary focus of this integrated research and education program involves teaching and training of undergraduate and graduate students in thin film deposition, a broadly used technology in materials research and engineering. Thin film fabrication research will be carried out by undergraduate and graduate students, and an undergraduate class devoted to physical vapor deposition techniques such as molecular beam epitaxy and sputtering will be developed and taught by the PI. This program involves collaborations with faculty members in the Departments of Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, and Physics, and is designed to form a broad foundation in the study of thin film materials. %%% The project addresses fundamental research issues in a topical area of materials science having high technological relevance. Outcomes of these studies are expected to broaden our fundamental understanding of correlated oxide materials and lead to new applications based upon the novel types of behavior observed in these materials. The scope of the project will expose students to challenges in materials synthesis, processing, device fabrication, and characterization. An important feature of the project is the strong emphasis on education, and the integration of research and education. ***