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arXiv · 1906.12247

Characterizing dielectric properties of ultra-thin films using superconducting coplanar microwave resonators

Nikolaj G. Ebensperger·Benedikt Ferdinand·Dieter Koelle·Reinhold Kleiner·Martin Dressel·Marc Scheffler
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Abstract

We present an experimental approach for cryogenic dielectric measurements on ultra-thin insulating films. Based on a coplanar microwave waveguide design we implement superconducting quarter-wave resonators with inductive coupling, which allows us to determine the real part $\varepsilon_1$ of the dielectric function at GHz frequencies and for sample thicknesses down to a few nm. We perform simulations to optimize resonator coupling and sensitivity, and we demonstrate the possibility to quantify $\varepsilon_1$ with a conformal mapping technique in a wide sample-thickness and $\varepsilon_1$-regime. Experimentally we determine $\varepsilon_1$ for various thin-film samples (photoresist, MgF$_2$, and SiO$_2$) in the thickness regime of nm up to $\mu m$. We find good correspondence with nominative values and we identify the precision of the film thickness as our predominant error source. Additionally we present a temperature-dependent measurement for a SrTiO$_3$ bulk sample, using an in-situ reference method to compensate for the temperature dependence of the superconducting resonator properties.

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Nikolaj G. Ebensperger, Benedikt Ferdinand, Dieter Koelle, Reinhold Kleiner, Martin Dressel, Marc Scheffler. 2019-06-28. Characterizing dielectric properties of ultra-thin films using superconducting coplanar microwave resonators. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5116904

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