Cooper pair insulator phase induced in amorphous Pb 0.9 Bi 0.1 thin films

Authors

Shawna M. Hollen, University of New Hampshire - Main Campus
J Shainline, Brown University
J. M. Xu, Brown UniversityFollow
J M. Valles Jr., Brown UniversityFollow

Abstract

A Cooper pair insulator (CPI) phase emerges near the superconductor–insulator transitions of a number of strongly-disordered thin film systems. Much recent study has focused on a mechanism driving the underlying Cooper pair localization. We present data showing that a CPI phase develops in amorphous Pb_0.9Bi_0.1 films deposited onto nano-porous anodized aluminum oxide surfaces just as it has been shown to develop for a-Bi films. This result confirms the assertion that this CPI phase emerges due to the structure of the substrate. It supports the picture that nanoscale film thickness variations induced by the substrate drive the localization. Moreover, it implies that the CPI phase can be induced in any superconducting material that can be deposited onto this surface.

Department

Physics

Publication Date

3-15-2013

Journal Title

Physica C: Superconductivity

Publisher

Elsevier

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1016/j.physc.2012.12.011

Document Type

Article

Recommended Citation

S.M. Hollen, J. Shainline, J.M. Xu, J.M. Valles Jr., Cooper pair insulator phase induced in amorphous Pb0.9Bi0.1 thin films, Physica C: Superconductivity, Volume 486, 15 March 2013, Pages 23-25, ISSN 0921-4534, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physc.2012.12.011. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921453412004169)

Rights

Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.