Large parametric amplification in kinetic inductance dominant resonators based on 3 nm-thick epitaxial superconductors

Ultra-thin superconducting aluminum films of 3-nm grown on sapphire by molecule-beam epitaxy show excellent superconductivity and large kinetic inductance. This results in a record high Kerr non-linearity of 33 kHz and 3.62 MHz per photon in notch-type and transmission-type resonators, respectively. 4-wave mixing leverages this non-linearity to achieve 12 dB parametric amplification in transmission type resonator, making the ultra-thin film ideal for photon detection and amplification applications.