Physical patterning of high-Q superconducting niobium resonators via ion beam etching

Title	Physical patterning of high-Q superconducting niobium resonators via ion beam etching
Authors	Miguel Manzo-Perez, Moeid Jamalzadeh, Man Nguyen, Christopher Nadeau, Alexander Madden, Iliya Shiravand, Kim Kisslinger, Xiao Tong, Kasra Sardashti, Michael Senatore, Matthew LaHaye, Davood Shahrjerdi
Magazine	Applied Physics Letters
Date	09/02/2025
DOI	10.1063/5.0278956
Introduction	The fabrication of superconducting quantum circuits increasingly involves chemically diverse materials and complex multilayer structures. To advance these developments, low-damage, materials-agnostic patterning techniques compatible with a broad range of materials are crucial. This study examines low-energy ion beam etching (IBE) as a viable alternative to reactive ion etching for producing low-loss superconducting resonators, using niobium resonators as a benchmark. To mitigate IBE-induced surface redeposition, an in situ aluminium capping layer with targeted chemical treatment was introduced. This approach produces resonators with internal quality factors reaching 6 × 10^5 in the single-photon regime at 50 mK, highlighting IBE as a promising technique for superconducting device fabrication across diverse material platforms.
Quote	Miguel Manzo-Perez, Moeid Jamalzadeh and Man Nguyen et al. Physical patterning of high-Q superconducting niobium resonators via ion beam etching. Applied Physics Letters. 2025. Vol. 127(9). DOI: 10.1063/5.0278956
Element	Niobium (Nb)
Materials	Metals and Alloys , Superconductors