Photolithography-Compatible Three-Terminal Superconducting Switch for Driving CMOS Loads (2504.16314v1)

Abstract: Superconducting devices have enabled breakthrough performance in quantum sensing and ultra-low-power computing applications. However, the need for a cryo-electronics platform that can interface superconducting electronics with Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) devices has become increasingly evident in many cutting-edge applications. In this work, we present a three-terminal superconducting switch fabricated using photolithography, which can directly interface with CMOS electronics. We investigate the switching characteristics of this micron-width wire-based cryotron (wTron) by varying its channel and gate dimensions and sweeping its terminal bias currents. The wTron exhibits an output impedance exceeding 1 k$\Omega$ and demonstrates reduced sensitivity to ambient magnetic noise, similar to its nanoscale predecessor, the nanocryotron. In addition, its micron-width wires have switching currents in the mA range, making wTrons well-suited for driving current-hungry resistive loads and highly capacitive CMOS loads. We demonstrate the capability of wTron to drive room-temperature CMOS electronics, including an LED and a MOSFET with a gate capacitance of 500 pF. Finally, we discuss design considerations for optimizing wTron device parameters to drive CMOS loads, such as MOSFETs, HEMTs, and electro-optic modulators. Our analysis shows that wTron will facilitate the interface between superconducting electronics and CMOS, thereby paving the way for the development of foundry-process-compatible cryo-electronics ecosystems to advance next-generation computing and quantum applications.