51. Constructing ab initio models of ultra-thin Al-AlOx-Al barriers
- Author
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DuBois, Timothy C., Cyster, Martin J., Opletal, George, Russo, Salvy P., and Cole, Jared H.
- Subjects
Condensed Matter - Materials Science - Abstract
The microscopic structure of ultra-thin oxide barriers often plays a major role in modern nano-electronic devices. In the case of superconducting electronic circuits, their operation depends on the electrical non-linearity provided by one or more such oxide layers in the form of ultra-thin tunnel barriers (also known as Josephson junctions). Currently available fabrication techniques manufacture an amorphous oxide barrier, which is attributed as a major noise source within the device. The nature of this noise is currently an open question and requires both experimental and theoretical investigation. Here, we present a methodology for constructing atomic scale computational models of Josephson junctions using a combination of molecular mechanics, empirical and ab initio methods. These junctions consist of ultra-thin amorphous aluminium-oxide layers sandwiched between crystalline aluminium. The stability and structure of these barriers as a function of density and stoichiometry are investigated, which we compare to experimentally observed parameters, Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. For special issue dedicated to Prof. Ian Snook
- Published
- 2015
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