The Integration of Superconducting and

Ferroelectric Oxide Thin Films

for Device Applications

Alex Ignatiev

Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center

and the

Texas Center for Superconductivity

University of Houston

Houston, TX 77204-5507

Abstract:

The discovery of oxide high temperature superconductors (HTS) began an thrust in the fabrication, characterization and application of a variety of high quality oxide thin film materials. This has allowed for the expansion of thin film technology to include advanced oxides that have been able to be integrated with the high temperature superconductors. Both the superconducting properties and the room temperature conducting properties of the HTS materials have been exploited in their integration to advanced oxides, and this has led to a number of unique new device applications for oxides. In particular, HTS thin films integrated to ferroelectrics have resulted in the development of a non-volatile ferroelectric-superconductor field effect transistor (FSuFET), a fatigueless ferroelectric capacitor, and a high sensitivity pyroelectric infrared detector that does not require cooling for operation. The latter device has benefited from integration of HTS with ferroelectrics not because of the superconducting aspects of the HTS thin films, but because of the conducting oxide property of the HTS material at room temperature. Details of these device application of advanced oxide films and future possibilities for using oxide thin films will be discussed.