Superconductivity Modulated by Quantum Size Effects
Top Cited Papers
- 10 December 2004
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 306 (5703), 1915-1917
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1105130
Abstract
We have fabricated ultrathin lead films on silicon substrates with atomic-scale control of the thickness over a macroscopic area. We observed oscillatory behavior of the superconducting transition temperature when the film thickness was increased by one atomic layer at a time. This oscillating behavior was shown to be a manifestation of the Fabry-Pérot interference modes of electron de Broglie waves (quantum well states) in the films, which modulate the electron density of states near the Fermi level and the electron-phonon coupling, which are the two factors that control superconductivity transitions. This result suggests the possibility of modifying superconductivity and other physical properties of a thin film by exploiting well-controlled and thickness-dependent quantum size effects.Keywords
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