NbN/AlN/NbN tunnel junctions with high current density up to 54 kA/cm2

We report on progress in the development of high current density NbN/AlN/NbN tunnel junctions for applications as submillimeter wave superconductor-insulator-superconductor mixers. A very high current density up to 54 kA/cm2, roughly an order of magnitude larger than any reported results for all-NbN tunnel junctions, was achieved in the junctions with about 1 nm thick AlN barriers. The magnetic field and temperature dependence of critical supercurrents were measured to investigate the Josephson tunneling behavior of critical supercurrents in the high-Jc junctions. The junctions showed high-quality junction characteristics with a large gap voltage of 5 mV and sharp quasiparticle current rise (ΔVg=0.1 mV). The Rsg/RN ratio was about 5 with a Vm value of 14 mV measured at 4.2 K. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics