Radiation damage assessment of Nb tunnel junction devices

The radiation hardness of a new technology using Josephson junctions was explored by an irradiation using a fluence of 7.6*10/sup 14/ protons/cm/sup 2/ at an energy of 63 MeV from the U.C. Davis cyclotron. In what may be the first radiation assessment of Nb/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3//Nb devices, the permanent damage in these devices was investigated. No permanent changes in the I-V characteristics of the junctions were observed, indicating no significant level of material defects have occurred at this level of irradiation.<
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