Single-Crystal Superconducting Nanowires Of Nbse2 Fabricated By Reactive Plasma Etching

We present the preparation and measurements of nanowires of single-crystal NbSe2. These nanowires were prepared on ultrathin (less than or similar to 10 nm) flakes of NbSe2 mechanically exfoliated from a bulk single crystal using a process combining electron beam lithography and reactive plasma etching. The electrical contacts to the nanowires were prepared using Ti/Au. Our technique, which overcomes several limitations of methods developed previously for fabricating superconducting nanowires, also allows for the preparation of complex superconducting nanostructures with a desired geometry. Current-voltage characteristics of individual superconducting single-crystal nanowires with widths down to 30 nm and cross-sectional areas as low as 270 nm(2) were measured. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.