Superconducting Detector Cleanroom

Our new Class 10/100 cleanroom is currently under construction. The facility is funded by a £3.5M Joint Infrastructure Fund Grant in conjunction with the Cavendish Semiconductor Physics Group.

Funding is in place for a new UHV deposition chamber, Reactive Ion Etcher, mask aligner, wet benches and ancillary equipment for Superconducting Device fabrication. When complete we will have access to a full range of thin film deposition and processing equipment. The cleanroom will be operational in early 2003.

Under construction: 7/11/02 Asbestos removal is in progress.

During June 2002, we transferred the Cryogenic Detectors fabrication facility from Oxford Instruments Superconductivity to the Astrophysics Group at the Cavendish Laboratory.

This shows part of the former cleanroom at OI.
Two of the three Ultra High Vacuum sputter deposition machines can be seen.

Deposition Equipment:-

Lesker UHV magnetron sputter deposition

• 4" substrates
• 7" Dc and RF magnetrons
• Separate dielectric deposition chamber
• Load-lock and transport

Lesker UHV magnetron sputter deposition

• 2" substrates
• 3" Dc and RF magnetrons
• Substrate heating to 1200K, cooling to 77K.
• Base pressure mbar
• Load lock

CVT UHV magnetron sputter deposition

• Generally used for new materials characterisation and device post-processing
• Base pressure 10^-11 mbar
• Load lock

Processing

• mask aligner
• Photolithography to 1 µm.
• Reactive ion etching, RIE80 with CF₄, CHF₃
• Ion beam milling
• Silicon nitride membrane processing

Picture of some fine lithography

Part processed STJ array showing sub-micron vias.
The Nb wiring (light coloured lines) is 1.5 µm wide.

Materials

Materials presently in use include Nb, NbN, Ta, Al, Ir, Hf, Mo, Au, AuCu, Pd, SiO₂, Al₂O₃.

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