Minimal Damage and Tunable Fabrication of Atomic‐Scale Ultrathin YBa2Cu3O7‐δ Nanowires with High Uniformity

The growing demand for deep‐space optical communication and remote sensing has highlighted the need for high‐temperature superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs). However, fabricating ultrathin and ultranarrow high‐temperature superconducting nanowires remains significant challenges...

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Main Authors: Huiqin Ma, Hanbin Wang, Yang Wang, Zhengyang Luo, Zongpei Li, Yong Wang, Xinchuan Du, Chao Yang, Jianwen Huang, Chunyang Wu, Nannan Li, Xianfu Wang, Yuqing Liu, Peng Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley-VCH 2025-05-01
Series:Small Structures
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400661
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author Huiqin Ma
Hanbin Wang
Yang Wang
Zhengyang Luo
Zongpei Li
Yong Wang
Xinchuan Du
Chao Yang
Jianwen Huang
Chunyang Wu
Nannan Li
Xianfu Wang
Yuqing Liu
Peng Li
author_facet Huiqin Ma
Hanbin Wang
Yang Wang
Zhengyang Luo
Zongpei Li
Yong Wang
Xinchuan Du
Chao Yang
Jianwen Huang
Chunyang Wu
Nannan Li
Xianfu Wang
Yuqing Liu
Peng Li
author_sort Huiqin Ma
collection DOAJ
description The growing demand for deep‐space optical communication and remote sensing has highlighted the need for high‐temperature superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs). However, fabricating ultrathin and ultranarrow high‐temperature superconducting nanowires remains significant challenges due to the extreme instability of their films. Herein, an effective approach is presented for fabricating high‐quality YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) nanowires by utilizing in situ protective layers that shield ultrathin films from environmental and processing‐induced degradation, coupled with low‐temperature etching techniques to achieve precise, and tunable etching while minimizing damage. Thus, YBCO nanowires are successfully fabricated with a minimum width of 68 nm, an atomic‐scale thickness of 5 nm, and lateral damage limited to ≈15 nm. These nanowires exhibit robust I–V hysteresis and a minimum switching current (Is) of about 120 μA. The coefficient of variation for the Is less than 6% and for the critical temperature (Tc0) is below 1%, confirming the exceptional uniformity of the nanowires. Electrical transport measurements reveal that voltage switching in these nanowires is governed by phase slip and hotspot effects. These advancements open new avenues for YBCO‐based high‐temperature SNSPDs, addressing a key challenge in the broader deployment of high‐temperature superconducting devices, including SNSPDs, superconducting quantum interference devices, and superconducting diodes.
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publisher Wiley-VCH
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spelling doaj-art-061351d96dba455f85ebf339c3e55a502025-08-20T01:48:37ZengWiley-VCHSmall Structures2688-40622025-05-0165n/an/a10.1002/sstr.202400661Minimal Damage and Tunable Fabrication of Atomic‐Scale Ultrathin YBa2Cu3O7‐δ Nanowires with High UniformityHuiqin Ma0Hanbin Wang1Yang Wang2Zhengyang Luo3Zongpei Li4Yong Wang5Xinchuan Du6Chao Yang7Jianwen Huang8Chunyang Wu9Nannan Li10Xianfu Wang11Yuqing Liu12Peng Li13State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731 ChinaMicrosystem and Terahertz Research Center China Academy of Engineering Physics Chengdu 610200 ChinaState Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731 ChinaState Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731 ChinaState Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731 ChinaState Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731 ChinaState Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731 ChinaState Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731 ChinaState Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731 ChinaState Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731 ChinaMicrosystem and Terahertz Research Center China Academy of Engineering Physics Chengdu 610200 ChinaState Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731 ChinaState Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731 ChinaState Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731 ChinaThe growing demand for deep‐space optical communication and remote sensing has highlighted the need for high‐temperature superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs). However, fabricating ultrathin and ultranarrow high‐temperature superconducting nanowires remains significant challenges due to the extreme instability of their films. Herein, an effective approach is presented for fabricating high‐quality YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) nanowires by utilizing in situ protective layers that shield ultrathin films from environmental and processing‐induced degradation, coupled with low‐temperature etching techniques to achieve precise, and tunable etching while minimizing damage. Thus, YBCO nanowires are successfully fabricated with a minimum width of 68 nm, an atomic‐scale thickness of 5 nm, and lateral damage limited to ≈15 nm. These nanowires exhibit robust I–V hysteresis and a minimum switching current (Is) of about 120 μA. The coefficient of variation for the Is less than 6% and for the critical temperature (Tc0) is below 1%, confirming the exceptional uniformity of the nanowires. Electrical transport measurements reveal that voltage switching in these nanowires is governed by phase slip and hotspot effects. These advancements open new avenues for YBCO‐based high‐temperature SNSPDs, addressing a key challenge in the broader deployment of high‐temperature superconducting devices, including SNSPDs, superconducting quantum interference devices, and superconducting diodes.https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400661high‐temperature superconductorsingle photon detectionsuperconducting nanowiresYBa2Cu3O7‐δ
spellingShingle Huiqin Ma
Hanbin Wang
Yang Wang
Zhengyang Luo
Zongpei Li
Yong Wang
Xinchuan Du
Chao Yang
Jianwen Huang
Chunyang Wu
Nannan Li
Xianfu Wang
Yuqing Liu
Peng Li
Minimal Damage and Tunable Fabrication of Atomic‐Scale Ultrathin YBa2Cu3O7‐δ Nanowires with High Uniformity
Small Structures
high‐temperature superconductor
single photon detection
superconducting nanowires
YBa2Cu3O7‐δ
title Minimal Damage and Tunable Fabrication of Atomic‐Scale Ultrathin YBa2Cu3O7‐δ Nanowires with High Uniformity
title_full Minimal Damage and Tunable Fabrication of Atomic‐Scale Ultrathin YBa2Cu3O7‐δ Nanowires with High Uniformity
title_fullStr Minimal Damage and Tunable Fabrication of Atomic‐Scale Ultrathin YBa2Cu3O7‐δ Nanowires with High Uniformity
title_full_unstemmed Minimal Damage and Tunable Fabrication of Atomic‐Scale Ultrathin YBa2Cu3O7‐δ Nanowires with High Uniformity
title_short Minimal Damage and Tunable Fabrication of Atomic‐Scale Ultrathin YBa2Cu3O7‐δ Nanowires with High Uniformity
title_sort minimal damage and tunable fabrication of atomic scale ultrathin yba2cu3o7 δ nanowires with high uniformity
topic high‐temperature superconductor
single photon detection
superconducting nanowires
YBa2Cu3O7‐δ
url https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400661
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