Incorporation of hexagonal boron nitride into superconducting circuit elements

Van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, particularly those including hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), offer significant potential for the improvement of superconducting qubits. The nature of hBN as a stable tunnel barrier permits enhanced uniformity in tunneling current distribution, and its low dielectric loss could provide improved qubit coherence compared to traditional dielectric materials. Integrating vdW heterostructures into existing superconducting qubit architectures has the potential to enable enhanced qubit lifetimes and a more compact footprint. This talk will discuss our ongoing work in building and characterizing such devices.