FABRICATION OF YBA2CU3O7 STEP-EDGE JOSEPHSON-JUNCTIONS FOR LOW-NOISE DC-SQUIDS

We report the development of a fabrication process of high-resistance YBa2Cu3O7 step-edge Josephson junctions on sharp argon ion beam etched SrTiO3 substrate steps. For a reproducible fabrication, the redeposit ion of material at the step during the etch process has to be avoided. This is achieved by an alternating angle of ion incidence parallel to the edge of the photoresist mask. The reproducible straight step prof ile exhibits an angle around 60 degrees and is reflected in reproducib le electrical properties of the junctions. Critical current Ic and asy mptotic normal state resistance RN both Scale with the junction width w. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics depend on the ratio of fi lm thickness t to step height h. For t/h > 0.85 they are flux-flow-lik e; for t/h < 0.8 they correspond to the resistively shunted junction ( RSJ) model. Lower ratios of t/h correspond to higher specific resistan ces resulting at 77 K typically in asymptotic normal state resistances between 5 and 10 Omega per junction, depending on w. At 77 K we achie ve ICRN products Of more than 150 mu V. The junctions are applied to d e superconducting quantum interference devices (dc-SQUIDs) with induct ances between 25 and 35 pH. At 77 K transfer functions of more than 10 0 mu V Phi(0)(-1) are achieved. 1/f noise of the step-edge dc-SQUIDs i s observed, but using bias current modulation it is entirely suppresse d resulting in a spectral density of flux noise of 8.4 mu Phi(0) Hz(-1 /2) measured at 1 Hz and 77 K for a SQUID with an inductance of 30 pH.