Reducing vortex losses in superconducting microwave resonators with microsphere patterned antidot arrays

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that incorporating microsphere patterned antidot arrays into niobium superconducting microwave resonators significantly reduces vortex-induced energy losses, enhancing their performance in magnetic fields.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel fabrication of antidot arrays via self-assembling microsphere lithography to suppress vortex losses in superconducting resonators.

Findings

Antidot arrays reduce vortex losses by over ten times.

Loss reduction observed at multiple frequencies and magnetic field conditions.

Fabrication method enables scalable production of vortex-resistant resonators.

Abstract

We experimentally investigate the vortex induced energy losses in niobium coplanar waveguide resonators with and without quasihexagonal arrays of nanoholes (antidots), where large-area antidot patterns have been fabricated using self-assembling microsphere lithography. We perform transmission spectroscopy experiments around 6.25 and 12.5 GHz in magnetic field cooling and zero field cooling procedures with perpendicular magnetic fields up to B=27 mT at a temperature T=4.2 K. We find that the introduction of antidot arrays into resonators reduces vortex induced losses by more than one order of magnitude.