Thermal Effects at Superconducting Point Contacts
- 1 July 1972
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review B
- Vol. 6 (1), 120-130
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.6.120
Abstract
In this paper we have calculated curves of superconducting weak-link constriction junctions by assuming that there is a region of normal material which tends to spread with increasing power levels. The causes for the spreading of the normal resistance are twofold. One is the increase of the current-density distribution and the other is the increase of localized Joule heating at the contact as the total current is increased. The resultant rise in temperature of the link above the bath temperature, over the range of the characteristic, is found to be significant. Using material constants that are representative of bulk Nb, we found that the calculated characteristic is very similar to several experimentally observed Nb point-contact curves. The spreading normal-resistance analysis has suggested a model to explain the characteristic of a superconductor-normal-metal () point-contact system. A calculation has indicated that large excess temperatures are also present at the contacts when biased in the millivolt region. These findings have prompted us to review several published experiments with contacts.
Keywords
This publication has 31 references indexed in Scilit:
- Superconducting magnetometersRevue de Physique Appliquée, 1970
- Tunneling at Point Contacts between SuperconductorsPhysical Review B, 1969
- Tunneling and Weak-Link Superconductor Phenomena Having Potential Device ApplicationsJournal of Applied Physics, 1968
- Device Applications of Superconductive TunnelingJournal of Applied Physics, 1968
- Oscillations in the voltage between two weakly connected current-carrying superconductors as a function of the applied magnetic fieldPhysica, 1966
- Macroscopic Quantum Interference Effects through Superconducting Point ContactsPhysical Review B, 1966
- Gapless High-Current SuperconductivityPhysical Review B, 1965
- Thermal and electrodynamic aspects of the superconductive transition processSolid-State Electronics, 1960
- High-Current SuperconductivityPhysical Review B, 1959
- Thermal Propagation Effect in Thin Superconducting FilmsPhysical Review Letters, 1958