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arXiv · 1311.1773

Single-crystal superconducting nanowires of NbSe$_2$ fabricated by reactive plasma etching

Shaun A. Mills·Neal E. Staley·Jacob J. Wisser·Chenyi Shen·Zhuan Xu·Ying Liu
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Abstract

We present the preparation and measurements of nanowires of single-crystal NbSe$_2$. These nanowires were prepared on ultrathin ($\lesssim10\text{ nm}$) flakes of NbSe$_2$ mechanically exfoliated from a bulk single crystal using a process combining electron beam lithography and reactive plasma etching. The electrical contacts to the nanowires were prepared using Ti/Au. Our technique, which overcomes several limitations of methods developed previously for fabricating superconducting nanowires, also allows for the preparation of complex superconducting nanostructures with a desired geometry. Current-voltage characteristics of individual superconducting single-crystal nanowires with widths down to 30~nm and cross-sectional areas as low as 270 nm$^2$ were measured for the first time.

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Shaun A. Mills, Neal E. Staley, Jacob J. Wisser, Chenyi Shen, Zhuan Xu, Ying Liu. 2013-12-23. Single-crystal superconducting nanowires of NbSe$_2$ fabricated by reactive plasma etching. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4864158

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