Self-aligned formation of superconducting sub-5 nm PtSi films

Abstract

Platinum silicide (PtSi) presents a promising superconductor for achieving silicon-based Josephson field-effect transistors (JoFETs). In a viable process flow to realize self-aligned PtSi formation, thermal oxidation at 600 °C is required to form a protective oxide layer on the surface of the as-formed PtSi selectively against Pt to facilitate subsequent selective etch in aqua regia. However, sub-10 nm PtSi films tend to agglomerate and even break into discrete PtSi islands upon thermal treatments above 500 °C. To achieve nanoscale JoFETs, we have developed a simple alternative with chemical oxidation at room temperature leading to the formation of homogeneous sub-5 nm PtSi films. The critical temperature of the resultant superconducting PtSi films is found to increase from 0.66 to 0.90 K when the PtSi thickness is raised from 3.1 to 12.7 nm, while, concurrently, the PtSi grains grow larger in thicker films. The critical temperature also increases from 0.53 to 0.66 K for the 3.1 nm PtSi film when the formation temperature is raised from 400 to 500 °C.