The application of modern micro- and nanofabrication techniques to superconducting and cryogenic electronics is enabling new capabilities and applications.
The work of the Fabrication Project is the foundation of the Quantum Sensors Group. Members of the Fabrication Project use the Boulder Microfabrication Facility to make novel sensors and readout circuitry. Standard circuits include Transition-Edge Sensors (TESs), Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs), Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor (SIS) junctions, Normal-Insulator-Superconductor (NIS) junctions, Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs), microwave feedhorns, and parametric amplifiers. The Fabrication Project frequently develops new processes and techniques in order to provide new capabilities to the Quantum Sensors Group and its collaborators. One present area of innovation is integrating multiple types of circuits on a common substrate. Examples include combining NIS tunnel junction refrigerators with TES sensors and combining microwave SQUID multiplexers with TES sensors.