Enhanced Tantalum Superconducting Resonator Performance via All-Surface Organic Monolayer Passivation

Tantalum is a promising platform for superconducting quantum circuits, yet coherence times remain limited by dielectric losses from interfacial two-level systems (TLS), exacerbated by native oxide regrowth. Here, we implement molecular surface passivation using self-assembled organic monolayers on freshly etched tantalum and silicon in coplanar waveguide resonators. Surface characterization by contact angle, XPS, FTIR, and TEM confirms the formation of ordered, nanometer-thick films that suppress oxide formation. Microwave measurements in the ∼5–9 GHz range reveal internal quality factors up to 1.8 × 10⁶ in the single-photon regime at 100 mK, representing a ∼140% improvement over untreated devices with native oxide. Power- and temperature-dependent measurements attribute this enhancement to reduced TLS-induced losses. These results demonstrate that molecular passivation effectively engineers low-loss interfaces and provides a scalable route toward high-coherence superconducting quantum devices.