METHOD FOR MAKING HIGH-CURRENT, OHMIC CONTACTS BETWEEN SEMICONDUCTORS AND OXIDE SUPERCONDUCTORS

Method of making an ohmic connection between a semiconductor and an oxide superconductor, the connection being such that current can pass between the semiconductor and the superconductor without going through a degraded portion which is greater than the coherence length of the superconductor. The method can reside in depositing a buffer layer which is essentially inert to the oxide superconductor on a first portion of a sapphire, substrate, depositing oxide superconductor on the buffer layer, depositing a superconductor contact layer on the oxide superconductor, depositing a semiconductor on a second portion of the substrate, depositing a semiconductor contact layer on the semiconductor, and then depositing a layer on the semiconductor contact layer and on at least a portion of the superconductor contact layer to electrically interconnect the semiconductor contact layer and the superconductor contact layer. Preferably, the superconductor contact layer is of gold, the semiconductor contact layer and the interconnecting layer are of aluminum, and the buffer layer is of zirconium oxide. In a modified procedure the substrate is composed of semiconductor material and the semiconductor contact layer is deposited on the second portion of this substrate.