阅读说明：本技术 约瑟夫森结、约瑟夫森结的制备方法、装置及超导电路 (Josephson junction, preparation method and device of josephson junction and superconducting circuit ) 是由 张晓航 于文龙 古祥生 周经纬 于 2020-08-06 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明实施例提供了一种约瑟夫森结、约瑟夫森结的制备方法、装置及超导电路。约瑟夫森结包括：第一电极层,用于实现信号传输；第二电极层,用于实现信号传输；绝缘层,设置于第一电极层和第二电极层之间,以形成约瑟夫森结；第一电极层和第二电极层由预设材料构成,绝缘层由与预设材料相对应的化合物构成,预设材料包括非铝的超导材料,以延长超导量子比特的相干时间。本实施例有效地实现了通过非铝的超导材料来制备约瑟夫森结,由于上述材料具有晶格结构稳定的特征,有效地避免了因晶格结构存在缺陷而消耗能量,并且上述材料能够延长超导量子比特的相干时间,有利于提高超导量子比特计算的准确性,同时提高了所制备的约瑟夫森结的质量和效率。(The embodiment of the invention provides a Josephson junction, a preparation method and a device of the Josephson junction and a superconducting circuit. A josephson junction comprising: the first electrode layer is used for realizing signal transmission; the second electrode layer is used for realizing signal transmission; an insulating layer disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer to form a josephson junction; the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are made of a predetermined material, the insulating layer is made of a compound corresponding to the predetermined material, and the predetermined material includes a non-aluminum superconducting material to extend a coherence time of the superconducting qubit. The embodiment effectively realizes the preparation of the Josephson junction by the non-aluminum superconducting material, effectively avoids energy consumption caused by the defect of the lattice structure due to the stable characteristic of the lattice structure of the material, prolongs the coherence time of the superconducting qubit, is beneficial to improving the accuracy of superconducting qubit calculation, and simultaneously improves the quality and the efficiency of the prepared Josephson junction.)

1. A josephson junction, comprising:

the first electrode layer is used for realizing signal transmission;

the second electrode layer is used for realizing signal transmission;

an insulating layer disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer to form a josephson junction;

the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are made of preset materials, the insulating layer is made of compounds corresponding to the preset materials, and the preset materials comprise non-aluminum superconducting materials so as to prolong the coherence time of the superconducting qubits.

2. The josephson junction according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode layer is disposed on a predetermined substrate, and the second electrode layer has one end disposed on the insulating layer and the other end disposed on the predetermined substrate as a bridge structure.

3. The josephson junction according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the non-aluminium superconducting material comprises tantalum and the compound corresponding to the predetermined material comprises tantalum oxide.

4. The josephson junction according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the non-aluminium superconducting material comprises molybdenum and the compound corresponding to the predetermined material comprises molybdenum oxide.

5. The josephson junction according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the non-aluminium superconducting material comprises vanadium and the compound corresponding to the predetermined material comprises vanadium oxide.

6. A method of making a josephson junction comprising:

obtaining a substrate structure;

forming a first electrode layer on the substrate structure, forming an insulating layer on the first electrode layer, and forming a second electrode layer on the insulating layer, wherein the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are composed of a predetermined material, the insulating layer is composed of a compound corresponding to the predetermined material, and the predetermined material includes a non-aluminum superconducting material to extend a coherence time of the superconducting qubit;

and determining a structure formed by the first electrode layer, the insulating layer and the second electrode layer as a Josephson junction.

7. The method of claim 6,

the non-aluminum superconducting material comprises tantalum, and the compound corresponding to the preset material comprises tantalum oxide; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

the non-aluminum superconducting material comprises molybdenum, and the compound corresponding to the preset material comprises molybdenum oxide; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

the non-aluminum superconducting material includes vanadium, and the compound corresponding to the predetermined material includes vanadium oxide.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein forming a first electrode layer on the substrate structure comprises:

acquiring a first mask for generating a first electrode layer;

forming the first electrode layer on the substrate structure through the first mask.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein forming an insulating layer on the first electrode layer comprises:

carrying out oxidation treatment on the first electrode layer to obtain an oxidation sacrificial layer;

removing the oxidation sacrificial layer to obtain a pretreatment electrode layer corresponding to the first electrode layer;

and carrying out oxidation treatment on the pretreatment electrode layer to form the insulating layer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein removing the sacrificial oxide layer to obtain a pre-processed electrode layer corresponding to the first electrode layer comprises:

and cleaning the oxidation sacrificial layer by using a cleaning solution to obtain the pretreatment electrode layer.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein forming a second electrode layer on the insulating layer comprises:

forming a thin film structure on the substrate structure, the thin film structure at least comprising: the structure comprises a bottom layer structure and a top layer structure which are made of preset materials, and an intermediate layer structure arranged between the bottom layer structure and the top layer structure, wherein the intermediate layer structure is made of compounds corresponding to the preset materials;

and etching the thin film structure to obtain at least part of the second electrode layer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein etching the thin film structure to obtain at least a portion of the second electrode layer comprises:

acquiring a second mask for generating a first sub-electrode part, wherein the first sub-electrode part is at least part of the second electrode layer;

and etching the thin film structure based on the second mask to obtain the first sub-electrode part.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first sub-electrode portion is part of the top layer structure.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that after obtaining the first sub-electrode portion, the method further comprises:

acquiring a third mask;

etching the middle layer structure and the bottom layer structure of the thin film structure based on the third mask to obtain a dividing area positioned on one side of the first sub-electrode part;

and generating a second sub-electrode part connected with the first sub-electrode part based on the dividing region, wherein the second sub-electrode part and the first sub-electrode part are used for forming the second electrode layer, and the second electrode layer is a bridge structure with one end arranged on the insulating layer and the other end arranged on the preset substrate.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein generating a second sub-electrode portion connected to the first sub-electrode portion based on the divided area comprises:

forming a preset sacrificial layer on the dividing region;

etching the preset sacrificial layer into a preset pattern;

forming a top wiring layer on the preset pattern;

and etching the top wiring layer to generate the second sub-electrode part.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein after generating the second sub-electrode portion, the method further comprises:

and cleaning the preset sacrificial layer by using a cleaning solution to obtain the second electrode layer of the bridge structure.

17. The method of claim 10 or 16, wherein the wash solution comprises at least one of: hydrofluoric acid solution, buffered oxide etchant.

18. A josephson junction prepared by the method of preparing a josephson junction of any one of claims 6 to 17.

19. A superconducting circuit, comprising:

a josephson junction for use as a non-linear inductive element, the josephson junction being produced by the method of manufacturing a josephson junction according to any one of claims 6-17.

20. An apparatus for preparing a josephson junction, comprising: a memory, a processor; wherein the memory is to store one or more computer instructions, wherein the one or more computer instructions, when executed by the processor, implement a method of making a josephson junction according to any one of claims 6-17.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of superconduction, in particular to a Josephson junction, a preparation method and a device of the Josephson junction and a superconducting circuit.

Background

A josephson junction, or a superconducting tunnel junction, is generally a structure formed by two superconductors sandwiching a very thin barrier layer (thickness ≦ coherence length of the Cooper electron pair), such as: a Josephson junction formed by a superconductor (S) -insulator (I) -superconductor (S) structure, which is called SIS for short.

In the field of superconducting technology, the preparation of josephson junctions with aluminum materials is relatively widespread. However, since the aluminum material has only a superconducting transition temperature of 1.2K and a superconducting transition temperature of 3.4X 10^-4The eV superconducting energy gap, the lower superconducting transition temperature and the superconducting energy gap easily enable the aluminum-based superconducting qubit to be injected by other quasi-particles, thereby shortening the coherence time of the superconducting qubit and reducing the accuracy of the superconducting qubit calculation.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a Josephson junction, a method and a device for preparing the Josephson junction and a superconducting circuit.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a josephson junction, including:

the first electrode layer is used for realizing signal transmission;

the second electrode layer is used for realizing signal transmission;

an insulating layer disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer to form a josephson junction;

the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are made of preset materials, the insulating layer is made of compounds corresponding to the preset materials, and the preset materials comprise non-aluminum superconducting materials so as to prolong the coherence time of the superconducting qubits.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a method for preparing a josephson junction, comprising:

obtaining a substrate structure;

forming a first electrode layer on the substrate structure, forming an insulating layer on the first electrode layer, and forming a second electrode layer on the insulating layer, wherein the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are composed of a predetermined material, the insulating layer is composed of a compound corresponding to the predetermined material, and the predetermined material includes a non-aluminum superconducting material to extend a coherence time of the superconducting qubit;

and determining a structure formed by the first electrode layer, the insulating layer and the second electrode layer as a Josephson junction.

In a third aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a josephson junction prepared by the method for preparing a josephson junction according to the second aspect.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a superconducting circuit, including:

a josephson junction for use as a non-linear inductive element, said josephson junction being produced by the method of manufacturing a josephson junction according to the second aspect above.

In a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus for preparing a josephson junction, including: a memory, a processor; wherein the memory is configured to store one or more computer instructions, wherein the one or more computer instructions, when executed by the processor, implement a method of preparing a josephson junction as described in the second aspect above.

In a sixth aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a computer storage medium for storing a computer program, which when executed by a computer, implements the method for preparing a josephson junction according to the second aspect.

In the josephson junction, the method for preparing the josephson junction, the apparatus and the superconducting circuit provided by this embodiment, the first electrode layer, the second electrode layer and the insulating layer disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer form the josephson junction, specifically, the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are made of a non-aluminum superconducting material, and the insulating layer is made of an oxide corresponding to a predetermined material, so that the josephson junction is formed by a non-aluminum material, and the non-aluminum superconducting material has a characteristic of stable lattice structure, thereby effectively avoiding energy consumption caused by defects in the lattice structure; in addition, the Josephson junction is prepared by using the non-aluminum superconducting material, and the non-aluminum superconducting material can prolong the coherence time of the superconducting qubit, so that the accuracy of superconducting qubit calculation is improved, and the quality and the efficiency of the prepared Josephson junction are improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can also obtain other drawings according to the drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a first schematic structural diagram of a josephson junction according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a josephson junction according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a method for preparing a josephson junction according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a process for forming a first electrode layer on the substrate structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a process of forming an insulating layer on the first electrode layer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic flow chart of forming a second electrode layer on the insulating layer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a process of performing an etching process on the thin film structure to obtain at least a portion of the second electrode layer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic flow chart of another method for fabricating a Josephson junction according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a process of generating a second sub-electrode portion connected to the first sub-electrode portion based on the divided regions according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a first schematic diagram illustrating a method of fabricating a Josephson junction according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a second schematic diagram of a method of fabricating a Josephson junction according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for manufacturing a josephson junction according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, but not all, embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

The terminology used in the embodiments of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the examples of the present invention and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, and "a" and "an" generally include at least two, but do not exclude at least one, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

It should be understood that the term "and/or" as used herein is merely one type of association that describes an associated object, meaning that three relationships may exist, e.g., a and/or B may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the former and latter related objects are in an "or" relationship.

The words "if", as used herein, may be interpreted as "at … …" or "at … …" or "in response to a determination" or "in response to a detection", depending on the context. Similarly, the phrases "if determined" or "if detected (a stated condition or event)" may be interpreted as "when determined" or "in response to a determination" or "when detected (a stated condition or event)" or "in response to a detection (a stated condition or event)", depending on the context.

It is also noted that the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a good or system that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such good or system. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising an … …" does not exclude the presence of other like elements in a commodity or system that includes the element.

In addition, the sequence of steps in each method embodiment described below is only an example and is not strictly limited.

Interpretation of terms:

josephson junction: the superconducting quantum circuit is a sandwich structure (superconductor-insulator-superconductor, S-I-S for short) formed by two layers of superconducting materials separated by an ultrathin insulator (a dielectric layer of a few nanometers), and the electricity at low temperature shows a nonlinear inductance element which is an essential element for preparing quantum superconducting bits, so that the reliable generation of the Josephson junction is crucial to the application and development of a superconducting quantum circuit.

Josephson effect: is a supercurrent phenomenon across josephson junctions. For each josephson junction, it has a critical current (the magnitude of which is related to the electronic band structure, etc.), and if the current flowing through the josephson junction is less than the critical current, there is no voltage drop across the josephson junction. In brief, the josephson effect refers to the effect of no current loss when current signal transmission is performed through the josephson junction in a preset current range.

Quantum computer: is a device for general purpose computing using quantum logic. Unlike an electronic computer (or conventional computer), quantum computing uses quantum bits as objects for storing data, which use quantum algorithms to perform data manipulation.

Two-level system (two-level system for short): if only two energy levels are involved in the operation of the laser, the atoms at the lower energy level E1 can be pumped to the upper energy level E2 as much as possible by using an effective excitation means, and the structure formed by the method is a two-energy-level system.

In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the present application, the following briefly describes related technologies:

the josephson junction is a basic element for realizing superconducting qubits, is a core technology of a superconducting quantum computer, and the quality of the josephson junction (related to factors such as the structure, the oxidation degree and the environment of the josephson junction) plays a key role in the performance of the qubits, so that the josephson junction has a direct influence on the computing potential of the superconducting quantum computer.

In addition, since the josephson junction is composed of two superconducting electrodes separated by a thin insulating layer (tunnel barrier), improvement of the quality of the josephson junction can be achieved mainly depending on material engineering and manufacturing techniques. In the field of superconducting technology, josephson junctions are relatively widely prepared from aluminum materials, however, josephson junctions prepared from aluminum materials suffer from the following drawbacks:

(1) taking single crystal aluminum as an example for illustration, the insulating layer is often made of amorphous or polycrystalline AlO_xThe complex structure constituting the insulating layer often has many defects of lattice structure, which lose a large amount of energy. For example: crystal formed by ions or atoms not bound by crystal latticeBulk structural defects, at which time unbound ions or atoms consume energy with the oscillation of the current; alternatively, ion spin or ion natural vibration also consumes energy.

(2) Since the aluminum material has only 1.2K superconducting transition temperature and 3.4 x 10^-4The eV superconducting energy gap, the lower superconducting transition temperature and the superconducting energy gap easily enable the aluminum-based superconducting qubit to be injected by other quasi-particles, thereby shortening the coherence time of the superconducting qubit and reducing the accuracy of the superconducting qubit calculation.

In particular, in superconducting qubits, the two-level system is predominantly present in amorphous dielectric materials, based on Al/AlO_xAl or Nb/Al/AlO_xThe Josephson junction composed of/Nb is described as an example between the substrate and the metal, between the metal and the vacuum, between the substrate and the vacuum interface, and AlO_xThe interface of (a) includes a plurality of two-level systems, since the two-level systems may reduce the coherence time of the system, for example: for Al/AlO_xAl or Nb/Al/AlO_xIn a Josephson junction formed by/Nb, the coherence time of a superconducting qubit is generally below 100us due to the presence of a two-level system.

In order to reduce the influence of the two-level system on the coherence time of the superconducting qubit, there is proposed in the related art a method of using a single crystal barrier Al₂O₃Instead of amorphous barriers AlO_xThe energy loss due to the two-level system can be reduced, and specifically, the energy loss can be reduced by about 20%. However, in the use of single crystal barrier Al₂O₃Instead of amorphous barriers AlO_xIn time, single crystal Al is limited due to material compatibility problems₂O₃As an insulating layer, the quality of the resulting josephson junction cannot be guaranteed.

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present embodiment provides a josephson junction, a method for manufacturing the josephson junction, an apparatus and a superconducting circuit, wherein the josephson junction is formed by a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer and an insulating layer disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, specifically, the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are formed by a non-aluminum superconducting material, the insulating layer is formed by an oxide corresponding to a predetermined material, so that the josephson junction is formed by a non-aluminum material, and energy consumption due to the defect of a lattice structure is effectively avoided because the non-aluminum superconducting material has a stable lattice structure; in addition, the Josephson junction is prepared by using the non-aluminum superconducting material, and the non-aluminum superconducting material can prolong the coherence time of the superconducting qubit, so that the accuracy of superconducting qubit calculation is improved, and the quality and the efficiency of the prepared Josephson junction are improved.

Some embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The features of the embodiments and examples described below may be combined with each other without conflict between the embodiments.

Fig. 1 is a first schematic structural diagram of a josephson junction according to an embodiment of the present invention; referring to fig. 1, the present embodiment provides a josephson junction, which is a basic element for realizing a superconducting qubit. In particular, the josephson junction may be prepared by a technique of overlapping junctions, which may include: a first electrode layer 101, a second electrode layer 103, and an insulating layer 102. The first electrode layer 101 is used for signal transmission; the second electrode layer 103 is used for realizing signal transmission; an insulating layer 102 is provided between the first electrode layer 101 and the second electrode layer 103 to form a josephson junction; here, the first electrode layer 101 and the second electrode layer 103 may be composed of a predetermined material, and the insulating layer 102 is composed of a compound (having an insulating characteristic) corresponding to the predetermined material, and the predetermined material includes a non-aluminum superconducting material to extend a coherence time of the superconducting qubit.

The first electrode layer 101 may be disposed on a predetermined substrate 100, and the predetermined substrate 100 is used for carrying the generated josephson junction. In addition, the non-aluminum superconducting material used to create the first electrode layer 101 and the second electrode layer 103 may include any one of: tantalum, molybdenum and vanadium.

In some casesIn an example, the non-aluminum superconducting material may include tantalum, and the compound corresponding to the predetermined material may include tantalum oxide, that is, the first electrode layer 101 and the second electrode layer 103 are made of tantalum material Ta, and the insulating layer 102 is made of tantalum oxide TaO_xAs a result, it can be understood that the tantalum oxide TaO described above_xThe material may comprise any one of: tantalum oxide TaO material and tantalum dioxide TaO₂Material, tantalum trioxide, TaO₃Material, tantalum tetroxide TaO₄Ta, tantalum pentoxide₂O₄Materials, etc., and those skilled in the art can select different tantalum oxide materials to form the insulating layer 102 according to the specific application requirements, which will not be described herein.

It is understood that the compound corresponding to the predetermined material may further include tantalum nitride, i.e., the first electrode layer 101 and the second electrode layer 103 are composed of tantalum material Ta, and the insulating layer 102 is composed of tantalum nitride TaN_xAs a result, it can be understood that the tantalum nitride TaN mentioned above_xThe material may comprise any one of: tantalum nitride TaN material, tantalum nitride TaN₂Material, tantalum nitride TaN₃Material, tantalum nitride TaN₄Materials, etc., and those skilled in the art can select different tantalum nitride materials to form the insulating layer 102 according to the specific application requirements, which will not be described herein.

In other examples, the non-aluminum superconducting material includes molybdenum, and the compound corresponding to the predetermined material includes molybdenum oxide, i.e., the first electrode layer 101 and the second electrode layer 103 are made of molybdenum material Mo, and the insulating layer 102 is made of molybdenum oxide MoO_xAs a result, it can be understood that the above-mentioned molybdenum oxide MoO_xThe material may comprise any one of: molybdenum monoxide MoO material and molybdenum dioxide MoO₂Material, molybdenum trioxide, MoO₃Material, molybdenum tetraoxide MoO₄Materials, etc., and those skilled in the art can select different molybdenum oxide materials to form the insulating layer 102 according to the specific application requirements, which will not be described herein.

It is understood that the compound corresponding to the predetermined material may further include molybdenum nitride, that is, the first electrode layer 101 and the second electrode layer 103 are made of molybdenum material Mo, and the insulating layer 102 is made of nitrided molybdenumMolybdenum MoN_xAs a result, it can be understood that the above-mentioned molybdenum nitride MoN_xThe material may comprise any one of: molybdenum nitride MoN material and molybdenum nitride MoN₂Material, molybdenum nitride MoN₃Material, molybdenum tetranitride MoN₄Materials, etc., and those skilled in the art can select different molybdenum nitride materials to form the insulating layer 102 according to the specific application requirements, which will not be described herein.

In still other examples, the non-aluminum superconducting material includes vanadium, and the compound corresponding to the predetermined material includes vanadium oxide, i.e., the first electrode layer 101 and the second electrode layer 103 are made of a vanadium material V, and the insulating layer 102 is made of vanadium oxide VO_xThe composition of the vanadium oxide VO can be understood as described above_xThe material may comprise any one of: vanadium monoxide VO material and vanadium dioxide VO₂Material, vanadium trioxide VO₃Material, vanadium tetraoxide VO₄Materials, etc., and those skilled in the art can select different vanadium oxide materials to form the insulating layer 102 according to the specific application requirements, which will not be described herein.

It is understood that the compound corresponding to the predetermined material may further include vanadium nitride, i.e., the first electrode layer 101 and the second electrode layer 103 are composed of a vanadium material V, and the insulating layer 102 is composed of vanadium nitride VN_xThe composition of the vanadium nitride VN can be understood as described above_xThe material may comprise any one of: vanadium nitride VN material and vanadium nitride VN₂Material, vanadium nitride VN₃Material, vanadium tetranitride VN₄Materials, etc., and those skilled in the art can select different vanadium nitride materials to form the insulating layer 102 according to the specific application requirements, which will not be described herein again.

In the josephson junction provided by the embodiment, the first electrode layer 101, the second electrode layer 103 and the insulating layer 102 disposed between the first electrode layer 101 and the second electrode layer 103 form the josephson junction, specifically, the first electrode layer 101 and the second electrode layer 103 are made of a non-aluminum superconducting material, and the insulating layer 102 is made of an oxide corresponding to a predetermined material, so that the josephson junction is formed by a non-aluminum material, and energy consumption caused by a defect of a lattice structure is effectively avoided because the non-aluminum superconducting material has a characteristic of stable lattice structure; in addition, the Josephson junction is prepared by using the non-aluminum superconducting material, and the non-aluminum superconducting material can prolong the coherence time of the superconducting qubit, so that the accuracy of superconducting qubit calculation is improved, and the quality and the efficiency of the prepared Josephson junction are improved.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a josephson junction according to an embodiment of the present invention; based on the above embodiments, with reference to fig. 2, the josephson junction in this embodiment may be prepared by using a three-layer junction technique, at this time, the first electrode layer 201 for forming the josephson junction may be disposed on the predetermined substrate 200, and the second electrode layer 203 is a bridge structure having one end disposed on the insulating layer 202 and the other end disposed on the predetermined substrate 200.

The second electrode layer 203 includes a first sub-electrode portion 203a located at an upper end of the partial insulating layer 202, a second sub-electrode portion 203b connected to the first sub-electrode portion 203a, and a third sub-electrode portion 203c connected to the second sub-electrode portion 203b, where a preset distance exists between the second sub-electrode portion 203b and the preset substrate 200 (that is, a preset gap is formed between the second sub-electrode portion 203b and the preset substrate 200), and the third sub-electrode portion 203c is disposed on the preset substrate 200, so that the second electrode layer 203 having a bridge structure formed by the first sub-electrode portion 203a, the second sub-electrode portion 203b, and the third sub-electrode portion 203c is obtained. Note that the josephson junction at this time is an overlapping structure of the first sub-electrode portion 203a, and the insulating layer 202 and the first electrode layer 201 which are located at the lower end of the first sub-electrode portion 203 a.

The josephson junctions in the embodiment can be generated by adopting a three-layer junction technology, so that the quality and efficiency of preparation of the josephson junctions are ensured, the flexible selectivity of preparation of the josephson junctions is expanded, a user can conveniently select different preparation modes to prepare the josephson junctions with different structures based on different application scenes, and the stability and reliability of preparation of the josephson junctions are further improved.

Fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a method for preparing a josephson junction according to an embodiment of the present invention; referring to fig. 3, this example provides a method of fabricating a josephson junction, which can be used to fabricate josephson junctions, with reference to fig. 3, it being understood that josephson junctions having different structures may correspond to different fabrication methods. Specifically, the preparation method may include:

step S301: a substrate structure is obtained.

The substrate structure is used to carry the generated josephson junction, and the specific material of the substrate structure is not limited in this embodiment, and those skilled in the art can set the substrate structure according to specific application requirements and design requirements as long as the substrate structure and the non-aluminum superconducting material used for preparing the josephson junction do not undergo a chemical combination reaction, which is not described herein again.

Step S302: the method includes the steps of forming a first electrode layer on a substrate structure, forming an insulating layer on the first electrode layer, and forming a second electrode layer on the insulating layer, wherein the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are made of a predetermined material, the insulating layer is made of a compound corresponding to the predetermined material, and the predetermined material includes a non-aluminum superconducting material to prolong a coherence time of the superconducting qubit.

After the substrate structure is acquired, a first electrode layer may be formed on the substrate structure, then an insulating layer may be formed on the first electrode layer, and a second electrode layer may be formed on the insulating layer to generate a josephson junction. Wherein the non-aluminum superconducting material used to create the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer may comprise any one of: tantalum, molybdenum and vanadium. In some examples, the non-aluminum superconducting material comprises tantalum, and the compound corresponding to the predetermined material may comprise tantalum oxide, i.e., the first and second electrode layers are composed of tantalum material Ta, and the insulating layer is composed of tantalum oxide TaO_xAs a result, it can be understood that the tantalum oxide TaO described above_xThe material may comprise any one of: tantalum oxide TaO material and tantalum dioxide TaO₂Material, tantalum trioxide, TaO₃Material, tantalum tetroxide TaO₄Materials, etc., in the artThe skilled person can select different tantalum oxide materials to form the insulating layer according to the specific application requirement, and the detailed description is omitted here.

It is understood that the compound corresponding to the predetermined material may further comprise tantalum nitride, i.e. the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are made of tantalum material Ta and the insulating layer is made of tantalum nitride TaN_xAs a result, it can be understood that the tantalum nitride TaN mentioned above_xThe material may comprise any one of: tantalum nitride TaN material, tantalum nitride TaN₂Material, tantalum nitride TaN₃Material, tantalum nitride TaN₄Materials, etc., and those skilled in the art can select different tantalum nitride materials to form the insulating layer according to the specific application requirements, which will not be described herein again.

In other examples, the non-aluminum superconducting material comprises molybdenum, the compound corresponding to the predetermined material comprises molybdenum oxide, i.e., the first and second electrode layers are made of molybdenum material Mo, and the insulating layer is made of molybdenum oxide MoO_xAs a result, it can be understood that the above-mentioned molybdenum oxide MoO_xThe material may comprise any one of: molybdenum monoxide MoO material and molybdenum dioxide MoO₂Material, molybdenum trioxide, MoO₃Material, molybdenum tetraoxide MoO₄Materials, etc., and those skilled in the art can select different molybdenum oxide materials to form the insulating layer according to the specific application requirements, which will not be described herein.

It is understood that the compound corresponding to the predetermined material may further include molybdenum nitride, i.e., the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are made of molybdenum material Mo, and the insulating layer is made of molybdenum nitride MoN_xAs a result, it can be understood that the above-mentioned molybdenum nitride MoN_xThe material may comprise any one of: molybdenum nitride MoN material and molybdenum nitride MoN₂Material, molybdenum nitride MoN₃Material, molybdenum tetranitride MoN₄Materials, etc., and those skilled in the art can select different molybdenum nitride materials to form the insulating layer according to the specific application requirements, which will not be described herein.

In still other examples, the non-aluminum superconducting material includes vanadium, and the compound corresponding to the predetermined material includes vanadium oxide, i.e., the first electrodeThe electrode layer and the second electrode layer are made of vanadium material V, and the insulating layer is made of vanadium oxide VO_xThe composition of the vanadium oxide VO can be understood as described above_xThe material may comprise any one of: vanadium monoxide VO material and vanadium dioxide VO₂Material, vanadium trioxide VO₃Material, vanadium tetraoxide VO₄Materials, etc., and those skilled in the art can select different vanadium oxide materials to form the insulating layer according to specific application requirements, which will not be described herein again.

It is understood that the compound corresponding to the predetermined material may further comprise vanadium nitride, i.e. the first and second electrode layers are composed of a vanadium material V and the insulating layer is composed of vanadium nitride VN_xThe composition of the vanadium nitride VN can be understood as described above_xThe material may comprise any one of: vanadium nitride VN material and vanadium nitride VN₂Material, vanadium nitride VN₃Material, vanadium tetranitride VN₄Materials, etc., and those skilled in the art can select different vanadium nitride materials to form the insulating layer according to specific application requirements, which are not described herein again.

Step S303: and determining a structure formed by the first electrode layer, the insulating layer and the second electrode layer as a Josephson junction.

After the first electrode layer, the insulating layer, and the second electrode layer are formed, an overlapped structure formed by the first electrode layer, the insulating layer, and the second electrode layer may be determined as a josephson junction, thereby effectively completing a fabrication operation of the josephson junction.

In the method for manufacturing a josephson junction provided in this embodiment, by obtaining a substrate structure, forming a first electrode layer on the substrate structure, forming an insulating layer on the first electrode layer, forming a second electrode layer on the insulating layer, and then determining an overlapping structure formed by the first electrode layer, the insulating layer, and the second electrode layer as a josephson junction, an operation of manufacturing the josephson junction is effectively achieved, in which the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are made of a non-aluminum superconducting material, and the insulating layer is made of an oxide corresponding to a predetermined material, so that the josephson junction is effectively formed by a non-aluminum material, and since the non-aluminum superconducting material has a characteristic of stable lattice structure, the situation that energy is consumed due to defects existing in the lattice structure is effectively avoided; in addition, the non-aluminum superconducting material can effectively prolong the coherence time of the superconducting quantum bit, thereby being beneficial to improving the accuracy of superconducting quantum bit calculation, further ensuring the quality and efficiency of preparing the Josephson junction by the method, improving the practicability of the method and being beneficial to market popularization and application.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a process for forming a first electrode layer on a substrate structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; on the basis of the foregoing embodiment, with reference to fig. 4, in this embodiment, a specific forming manner of the first electrode layer is not limited, and a person skilled in the art may set the forming manner according to specific application requirements and design requirements, and preferably, the forming of the first electrode layer on the substrate structure in this embodiment may include:

step S401: a first mask for generating a first electrode layer is acquired.

Step S402: a first electrode layer is formed on the substrate structure through a first mask.

The first mask may include a first sub-mask portion disposed on one side of the upper end of the substrate structure and a second sub-mask portion disposed on the other side of the upper end of the substrate structure, and a predetermined gap exists between the first sub-mask portion and the second sub-mask portion.

After the first mask is obtained, the first mask can be arranged on the substrate structure, and then material deposition processing is carried out on the substrate structure provided with the first mask, so that the first electrode layer is effectively formed on the substrate structure through the first mask, and the quality and the efficiency of generating the first electrode layer are ensured.

Fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a process of forming an insulating layer on a first electrode layer according to an embodiment of the present invention; on the basis of the above embodiment, referring to fig. 5, after the first electrode layer is generated, an insulating layer may be formed on the first electrode layer, specifically, the forming of the insulating layer on the first electrode layer in the present embodiment may include:

step S501: and carrying out oxidation treatment on the first electrode layer to obtain an oxidation sacrificial layer.

Step S502: and removing the oxidation sacrificial layer to obtain a pretreatment electrode layer corresponding to the first electrode layer.

Step S503: and carrying out oxidation treatment on the pre-treated electrode layer to form an insulating layer.

After the first electrode layer is generated, in order to ensure the quality of generating the insulating layer positioned at the upper end of the first electrode layer, the first electrode layer can be subjected to oxidation treatment to obtain an oxidation sacrificial layer; after the sacrificial oxide layer is obtained, the sacrificial oxide layer may be removed to obtain a pre-processed electrode layer containing no or less impurities, where the pre-processed electrode layer corresponds to the first electrode layer, that is, the pre-processed electrode layer and the first electrode layer are both made of a non-aluminum superconducting material.

In some examples, removing the oxidized sacrificial layer and obtaining a pre-processed electrode layer corresponding to the first electrode layer may include: and cleaning the oxidation sacrificial layer by using a cleaning solution to obtain a pretreatment electrode layer.

The first electrode layer and the pretreatment electrode layer are made of non-aluminum superconducting materials, and the materials can bear the cleaning operation by using a cleaning solution with high cleaning efficiency, so that the pollution caused in the nanometer processing process can be removed, and the quality and the efficiency of cleaning the oxidation sacrificial layer are effectively improved. Specifically, the cleaning solution may include at least one of: hydrofluoric acid solution and buffer oxide etchant, it is understood that the specific type of the cleaning solution is not limited to the above-mentioned type, and those skilled in the art can select the cleaning solution according to the specific application requirement and design requirement, as long as the quality of cleaning the sacrificial oxide layer by using the cleaning solution can be ensured, thereby improving the quality and efficiency of obtaining the pretreated electrode layer.

After the pretreatment electrode layer is obtained, the pretreatment electrode layer is subjected to oxidation treatment, so that an insulating layer with good quality can be generated, and the quality and efficiency of preparing the Josephson junction based on the insulating layer are further improved.

Fig. 6 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a process of forming a second electrode layer on an insulating layer according to an embodiment of the present invention; on the basis of the above embodiment, referring to fig. 6, when the josephson junction prepared is a three-layer junction structure, the forming of the second electrode layer on the insulating layer may include:

step S601: forming a thin film structure on the substrate structure, the thin film structure at least comprising: the structure comprises a bottom layer structure and a top layer structure which are made of preset materials, and an intermediate layer structure arranged between the bottom layer structure and the top layer structure, wherein the intermediate layer structure is made of compounds corresponding to the preset materials.

The bottom layer structure included in the substrate structure is used for generating a first electrode layer arranged on the substrate structure, the middle layer structure is used for generating an insulating layer arranged on the substrate structure, and the top layer structure is used for generating a second electrode layer arranged on the substrate structure. The bottom layer structure and the top layer structure are therefore also made of a predetermined material other than aluminum, and the middle layer structure is made of a compound corresponding to the predetermined material. Specifically, the non-aluminum superconducting material may include any one of: tantalum, molybdenum and vanadium.

Step S602: and etching the thin film structure to obtain at least part of the second electrode layer.

After forming a thin film structure on the substrate structure, the thin film structure may be subjected to an etching process, so that at least part of the second electrode layer may be obtained. Specifically, referring to fig. 7, in this embodiment, the performing an etching process on the thin film structure to obtain at least a portion of the second electrode layer may include:

step S6021: a second mask for generating first sub-electrode portions, which are at least part of the second electrode layer, is obtained.

Specifically, the embodiment does not limit the specific structure of the second mask, and those skilled in the art can set the second mask according to specific application requirements and design requirements, for example: the second mask may be a rectangular template structure or a square template structure, etc. Of course, a person skilled in the art may set the specific shape and structure of the second mask according to specific application requirements and design requirements, as long as the quality of the generation of the first sub-electrode portion can be ensured, and details are not described herein.

Step S6022: and etching the thin film structure based on the second mask to obtain a first sub-electrode part.

After the second mask is obtained, the second mask can be arranged on the thin film structure, and then the thin film structure is etched through the second mask to obtain the first sub-electrode part, so that the quality and the efficiency of generating the first sub-electrode part are ensured. It is understood that the first sub-electrode portion is part of the top layer structure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic flow chart of another method for fabricating a Josephson junction according to an embodiment of the present invention; on the basis of the foregoing embodiment, with continuing reference to fig. 8, after obtaining the first sub-electrode portion, the method in this embodiment may further include:

step S801: a third mask is acquired.

The third mask is provided with a pattern for generating a second sub-electrode part, the number of the third masks can be one or more, when the number of the third masks is multiple, multiple etching and deposition operations need to be performed through multiple third masks to obtain a second sub-electrode part, and then the second electrode layer with a bridge-type structure can be generated through the first sub-electrode part and the second sub-electrode part.

Step S802: and etching the middle layer structure and the bottom layer structure of the thin film structure based on the third mask to obtain a dividing area positioned on one side of the first sub-electrode part.

After the third mask is obtained, the third mask may be disposed on the substrate structure on which the first sub-electrode portions are generated, and then the substrate structure on which the third mask is disposed is subjected to etching processing, so that the dividing regions on the first sub-electrode portions side may be obtained.

Step S803: and generating a second sub-electrode part connected with the first sub-electrode part based on the dividing region, wherein the second sub-electrode part and the first sub-electrode part are used for forming a second electrode layer, and the second electrode layer is a bridge structure with one end arranged on the insulating layer and the other end arranged on a preset substrate.

After the divided regions are obtained, a second sub-electrode portion connected to the first sub-electrode portion may be generated based on the divided regions, where the second sub-electrode portion and the first sub-electrode portion are used to form a second electrode layer, and the generated second electrode layer is a bridge structure with one end disposed on the insulating layer and the other end disposed on the predetermined substrate.

In addition, the embodiment does not limit the specific implementation manner of generating the second sub-electrode portion connected to the first sub-electrode portion based on the divided area, and a person skilled in the art may set the second sub-electrode portion according to specific application requirements and design requirements, and preferably, as shown in fig. 9, the generating the second sub-electrode portion connected to the first sub-electrode portion based on the divided area in the embodiment may include:

step S8031: and forming a preset sacrificial layer on the dividing region.

Step S8032: and etching the preset sacrificial layer into a preset pattern.

Step S8033: and forming a top wiring layer on the preset pattern.

Step S8034: and etching the top wiring layer to generate a second sub-electrode part.

After the segmentation regions are obtained, a preset sacrificial layer may be formed on the segmentation regions, where the preset sacrificial layer may be made of a non-aluminum superconducting material; after the preset sacrificial layer is obtained, the preset sacrificial layer can be etched into a preset pattern, specifically, a fourth mask used for generating the preset pattern can be obtained, the fourth mask is arranged at the upper end of the preset sacrificial layer, and then etching processing is performed on the preset sacrificial layer through the fourth mask to generate the preset pattern.

After the preset pattern is acquired, an upper wiring layer for generating the second sub-electrode sections may be formed on the preset pattern, and therefore, the upper wiring layer is also made of a non-aluminum superconducting material. After the top wiring layer is generated, etching processing can be performed on the top wiring layer, specifically, a fifth mask for generating the second sub-electrode part can be obtained, and the fifth mask is arranged at the upper end of the top wiring layer, so that etching processing is performed on the top wiring layer through the fifth mask, and the second sub-electrode part is generated, thereby effectively ensuring the quality and efficiency of generating the second sub-electrode part.

In some examples, after the generating the second sub-electrode portion, the method in the present embodiment may further include: and cleaning the preset sacrificial layer by using a cleaning solution to obtain a second electrode layer of the bridge structure.

The second sub-electrode part is made of non-aluminum superconducting materials, and the materials can bear the cleaning operation by using a cleaning solution with high cleaning efficiency, so that the pollution caused in the nano-processing process can be removed, and the quality and the efficiency of cleaning the preset sacrificial layer are improved. Specifically, the cleaning solution may include at least one of: hydrofluoric acid solution and buffer oxide etchant, it is understood that the specific type of the cleaning solution is not limited to the above-mentioned type, and a person skilled in the art can select the cleaning solution according to the specific application requirement and design requirement as long as the quality of cleaning the predetermined sacrificial layer by using the cleaning solution can be ensured, thereby improving the quality and efficiency of obtaining the second electrode layer.

In the embodiment, the first sub-electrode part and the second sub-electrode part are obtained in the above manner, and the first sub-electrode part and the second sub-electrode part can form the second electrode layer, so that the quality and efficiency of generating the second electrode layer are effectively improved, the quality and efficiency of preparing the josephson junction are further improved, and the popularization and application in the market are facilitated.

In particular, referring to fig. 10, the present application provides a method for fabricating a josephson junction by a technique of overlap junction, specifically, tantalum Ta as a non-aluminum superconducting materialMaterial/tantalum oxide TaO_xAs an example of the compound corresponding to the predetermined material, the method may include the steps of:

step 1, obtaining a substrate structure.

And 2, performing the operation of depositing the tantalum material for the first time on the substrate structure through the first mask to generate a first electrode layer.

And step 3: the first mask is removed and then the tantalum material on the substrate structure is subjected to a metal oxidation process to cause tantalum oxide to appear on the surface of the tantalum material.

And 4, step 4: and removing the natural oxide formed on the surface of the tantalum material by using hydrofluoric acid (HF) or a Buffered Oxide Etchant (BOE), wherein the substrate structure comprises the tantalum material structure obtained after the cleaning operation is carried out.

And 5: the structure after the cleaning operation is rotated by 90 ° and the structure after the rotation is subjected to an oxidation treatment through the first mask, and specifically, the structure provided with the first mask, the substrate structure and the tantalum material may be provided in an atmosphere of pure oxygen to be subjected to an oxidation treatment, so that the insulating layer may be generated.

Step 6: and depositing a tantalum material for the second time on the upper end of the insulating layer by using the first mask to generate a second electrode layer.

And 7: and removing the first mask to obtain a Josephson junction formed by the first electrode layer, the insulating layer and the second electrode layer.

In some examples, after removing the first mask, the structure may be further subjected to a cleaning operation using a cleaning solution to reduce the content of impurities included in the josephson junction, improving the quality and efficiency of the fabrication of the josephson junction.

In addition, referring to fig. 11, the josephson junction in the present application embodiment can be prepared by a triple junction technique, specifically, tantalum Ta is used as a non-aluminum superconducting material/tantalum TaO oxide_xAs an example of the compound corresponding to the predetermined material, the method may include the steps of:

step 11: a substrate structure is obtained.

Step 12: and depositing on the substrate structure by adopting a sputtering technology to form a film structure, wherein the film structure at least comprises a bottom layer structure and a top layer structure which are made of tantalum materials, and an intermediate layer structure arranged between the bottom layer structure and the top layer structure, and the intermediate layer structure is made of tantalum oxide.

Step 13: and acquiring a second mask for generating the first sub-electrode part, placing the second mask at the upper end of the thin film structure, and performing pattern etching operation on the thin film structure by using a photoetching method to obtain the first sub-electrode part, wherein the first sub-electrode part is a part of the second electrode layer.

Step 14: and obtaining a third mask, arranging the third mask on the thin film structure comprising the first sub-electrode part, and etching the middle layer structure and the bottom layer structure of the thin film structure based on the third mask to obtain a dividing area positioned on one side of the first sub-electrode part.

Step 15: a predetermined material (e.g., SiOx) is deposited on the dividing region by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) to form a predetermined sacrificial layer.

Step 16: and obtaining another third mask, and performing etching operation on the preset sacrificial layer through the third mask and the photoresist technology to generate a preset pattern.

And step 17: and depositing a tantalum material on the preset pattern to form a top wiring layer.

Step 18: and obtaining a third mask, and etching the top wiring layer through the third mask and a lithography technology to generate a second sub-electrode part, wherein the first sub-electrode part and the second sub-electrode part are connected to form a second electrode layer arranged on the insulating layer.

Step 19: and cleaning the preset sacrificial layer by using a cleaning solution to obtain a second electrode layer of the bridge structure and obtain a Josephson junction formed by the first electrode layer, the insulating layer and the second electrode layer.

According to the preparation method of the Josephson junction, the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are prepared by the tantalum material with better superconducting characteristics, so that the coherent time of superconducting quantum bits is prolonged, the accuracy of superconducting quantum bit calculation is improved, and the quality and the efficiency of preparing the Josephson junction are improved; in addition, due to the characteristics of the tantalum material, the cleaning solution can be a solution with a strong cleaning effect in the process of preparing the josephson junction, such as: the cleaning operation is carried out by the piranha solution and the dilute hydrofluoric acid solution, so that the cleaning quality is ensured, the pollution from the nano processing process can be removed, and the preparation of the Josephson junction with higher quality and longer continuity is facilitated, thereby being beneficial to improving the development potential of superconducting quantum bit calculation and further ensuring the practicability of the method.

In addition, the present embodiment provides a josephson junction, which may be prepared by the method for preparing a josephson junction in the above embodiments, and specifically, the specific structure of the josephson junction may refer to fig. 1 to fig. 2, and will not be described again.

In addition, another aspect of the present embodiment provides a superconducting circuit that can generate superconducting qubits when the superconducting circuit is located in a preset environment. Specifically, the superconducting circuit may include:

a josephson junction for use as a non-linear inductive element, the josephson junction being produced by the method of preparation of a josephson junction as in the above embodiments.

Fig. 12 is a schematic structural view of an apparatus for manufacturing a josephson junction according to an embodiment of the present invention, and referring to fig. 12, the embodiment provides an apparatus for manufacturing a josephson junction, which can be used to manufacture a josephson junction. Specifically, the preparation apparatus may include: a processor 11 and a memory 12. Wherein the memory 12 is used for storing a program of a corresponding electronic device for performing the method for preparing a josephson junction provided in the above embodiments shown in fig. 3-11, and the processor 11 is configured for executing the program stored in the memory 12.

The program comprises one or more computer instructions which, when executed by the processor 11, is capable of carrying out the method of manufacturing a josephson junction as provided in the embodiments of figures 3-11 above.

Further, the first processor 11 is also used to execute all or part of the steps in the embodiments shown in fig. 3 to 11.

The electronic device may further include a communication interface 13 for communicating with other devices or a communication network.

In addition, embodiments of the present invention provide a computer storage medium for storing computer software instructions for an electronic device, which includes a program for executing the method for preparing a josephson junction in the method embodiments shown in fig. 3-1.

The above-described embodiments of the apparatus are merely illustrative, and the units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the present embodiment. One of ordinary skill in the art can understand and implement it without inventive effort.

Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will clearly understand that each embodiment can be implemented by adding a necessary general hardware platform, and of course, can also be implemented by a combination of hardware and software. With this understanding in mind, the above-described aspects and portions of the present technology which contribute substantially or in part to the prior art may be embodied in the form of a computer program product, which may be embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media having computer-usable program code embodied therein, including without limitation disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, and the like.

The present invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPUs), input/output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory.

The memory may include forms of volatile memory in a computer readable medium, Random Access Memory (RAM) and/or non-volatile memory, such as Read Only Memory (ROM) or flash memory (flash RAM). Memory is an example of a computer-readable medium.

Computer-readable media, including both non-transitory and non-transitory, removable and non-removable media, may implement information storage by any method or technology. The information may be computer readable instructions, data patterns, modules of a program, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase change memory (PRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), other types of Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), Digital Versatile Discs (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transmission medium that can be used to store information that can be accessed by a computing device. As defined herein, a computer readable medium does not include a transitory computer readable medium such as a modulated data signal and a carrier wave.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above examples are only intended to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, but not to limit it; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some technical features may be equivalently replaced; and such modifications or substitutions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the corresponding technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.