Complete stabilization and improvement of the characteristics of tunnel junctions by thermal annealing

P. J. Koppinen, L. M. Väistö, I. J. Maasilta

We have observed that submicron sized Al--AlO{${}_x$}--Al tunnel junctions can be stabilized completely by annealing them in vacuum at temperatures between $350^{\circ }$C and $450^{\…