Robust superconductivity in quantum-confined Pb: Equilibrium and irreversible superconductive properties
- 15 December 2006
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review B
- Vol. 74 (23), 235427
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.74.235427
Abstract
Strong quantum size effects enable the formation of crystalline Pb films that are atomically flat on a macroscopic length scale. The superconducting properties of 5–18–monolayer-(ML) thick Pb films were investigated in a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer using combined ac and dc methods. Even the thinnest films (5 ML) are extraordinarily robust type-II superconductors. Despite the extreme two-dimensional geometry, the thermodynamic parameters and upper critical field are primarily controlled by the physical boundary conditions of the film and show no evidence for disorder-driven or fluctuation-driven quenching of superconductivity. A magnetically hard critical state is established as a consequence of vortex trapping by quantum growth defects.
Keywords
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