  A quantum-limited amplification chain is a fundamental advantage for any
application that may benefit from the detection of very faint signals. Reading
out arrays of superconducting detectors (TESs or MKIDs), resonant cavities, or
qubits, calls for large bandwidth amplifiers in addition to having the lowest
possible noise. At millikelvin temperatures, Kinetic Inductance Traveling-Wave
Parametric Amplifiers (KI-TWPAs) working in 3-wave-mixing (3WM) and fabricated
from a 20 nm thick NbTiN film have shown promising noise performances, as they
can operate close to the quantum limit. However, they still require fairly high
pump power. Devices that would require lower pump power would be easier to
implement in readout chains, could reach the quantum limit and they would be
compatible with qubit readout. A possible solution for obtaining this optimal
configuration is to use a thinner superconducting film. In this work we explore
the properties of NbTiN films with a thickness less than 20 nm and we report
the obtained experimental characterizations in terms of critical temperature,
normal resistivity, and kinetic inductance. A new design for a 3WM KI-TWPA
amplifier, based on these developed superconducting films, is introduced and
discussed.
