Scaling regimes for second layer nucleation

Nucleation on top of two-dimensional islands with step edge barriers is investigated using scaling arguments. The nucleation rate is expressed in terms of three basic time scales: the time interval between deposition events, the residence time of atoms on the island, and the encounter time required for atoms forming a stable nucleus to meet. Application to the problem of second layer nucleation on growing first layer islands yields a sequence of scaling regimes with different scaling exponents relating the critical island size, at which nucleation takes place, to the diffusion and deposition rates. Second layer nucleation is fluctuation-dominated, in the sense that the typical number of atoms on the island is small compared to , when the first layer island density exponent satisfies . The upper critical nucleus size, above which the conventional mean field theory of second layer nucleation is valid, increases with decreasing dimensionality. In the related case of nucleation on top of multilayer mounds fluctuation-dominated and mean field like regimes coexist for arbitrary values of the critical nucleus size . Received 4 September 2000     

The phase diagram of the superconducting state of superconductor-band-antiferromagnet superlattices

The formation of the superconducting phase in short-period proximity-effect layered superlattices of the superconductor-band-antiferromagnetic-metal (SC/AF) type is studied. The exact solution of the Usadel equations is used to discuss the possibility of formation in such structures of a ground state in which the order parameters of the adjacent superconducting layers have opposite signs (the “π-phase”). The dependence of the superconducting transition temperature and the upper critical field normal to the layers on the lattice period, the intensity of magnetic interaction in the antiferromagnetic layer, and the state of the interface between the layers is examined. It is found that there exists a nonlinear dependence of the conditions for the appearance of the superconducting state in a layered SC/AF system on the system’s parameters. Finally, the conditions for the appearance of the superconducting phase in proximity-effect superlattices consisting of a superconductor with nonmagnetic, ferromagnetic, and antiferromagnetic metals are compared. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 111, 547–561 (February 1997)     

Superconducting spin valve effect of a v layer coupled to an antiferromagnetic [Fe/V] superlattice

We studied superconducting V layers deposited on an antiferromagnetically coupled [Fe(2)V(11)](20) superlattice. The parallel upper critical magnetic field exhibits an anomalous T dependence up to the ferromagnetic saturation field of the superlattice, indicating that the superconducting transition temperature T(S) decreases when rotating the relative sublattice magnetization directions of the superlattice from antiparallel to parallel. This proves that the pair breaking effect of a Fe2 layer is reduced if at a distance of 1.5 nm a second Fe2 layer with antiparallel spin orientation exists.     

Anisotropy and interlayer interaction in Mo/Si multilayers

The interlayer interaction in superconducting Mo/Si multilayers is determined by the measurements of the upper critical magnetic field and the magnetoconductivity in magnetic fields, parallel and perpendicular to the layers. From these measurements we determined the anisotropy parameter, γ, and the effective thickness, L_eff, which characterize the mutual electronic interaction between the Mo layers across the Si layer. Both quantities oscillate in dependence of the Mo layer thickness for Mo/Si series with constant Si layer thickness.     

Superconducting properties of V/Fe superlattices

We report measurements on the superconducting properties of V/Fe superlattices with various layer thicknesses. These samples were prepared with a novel UHV evaporator which can produce up to twenty different samples in the same run. The Fe layer, a strong pair breaker, suppresses the superconducting transition temperature in a systematic way. When the V layer thickness is on the order of the BCS coherence length and the Fe layer is only a few atomic planes thick, a 2D–3D crossover has been observed in the temperature dependence of the parallel upper critical field H_C2∥. This implies the coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetismm. We observe three dimensional behavior for thinner Fe layers (～1 atomic plane) and two dimensional behavior for thicker Fe layers (greater than 10 atomic planes).     

离子束溅射Ge量子点的应变调制生长

采用离子束溅射技术制备了单层和双层Ge量子点, 通过原子力显微镜对比了不同Si隔离层厚度和不同掩埋量子点密度情况下表层量子点的尺寸和形貌差异, 系统研究了掩埋Ge量子点产生的应变对表层量子点的浸润层及形核的影响, 并用埋置应变模型对其进行解释. 实验结果表明, 覆盖Ge量子点的Si隔离层中分布着的应变场, 导致表层量子点浸润层厚度的降低, 从而增大点的体积; 应变强度随隔离层厚度的减小而增加, 造成表层量子点形状和尺寸的变化; 此外, 应变还调控了表层量子点的空间分布. 关键词： Ge量子点 埋层应变 离子束溅射     

Electronic transport properties of hafnium/zirconium multilayers

We have investigated the electrical resistivity, superconducting transition temperature, and upper critical field as a function of layer thickness in hafnium/zirconium ( ) metallic superlattices. These films have equal Hf and Zr layer thicknesses (d_h and d_z, respectively). We have studied a series of samples with modulation wavelength λ = d_h + d_z ranging from 20 to 250 Å. All films show a metallic type of resistivity, with remarkably little difference in both room temperature and liquid helium resistivities. All structures undergo a transition to a superconducting state, with the transition temperature remaining nearly constant across the series. This indicates that the interface region of these structures is of rather high quality. Upper critical fields both parallel and perpendicular to the sample plane were determined. Because of the relatively large superconducting coherence length, these films behave essentially three-dimenstionally throughout the range of λ studied. However, we also observe a somewhat anomalous behavior in the ratio of the parallel to perpendicular critical fields near the transition temperature, the origin of which is not yet known.     

Strain relaxation in SiGe layer during wet oxidation process

The strain relaxation in SiGe layer on silicon substrate during wet oxidation at 1000 °C was investigated. It was proposed that the competition between Ge accumulation and diffusion led to different strain-relaxation behaviors. At the very beginning, Ge atoms at the oxidizing interface were quickly accumulated due to the high oxidation rate resulting in the additional nucleation of misfit dislocations (therefore a lot of threading dislocations) to relieve stress after the thickness of the Ge condensed layer was larger than the critical value. And then, when the Ge accumulation rate was less than the diffusion rate, Ge content started to decrease from a maximum value and the strain in the SiGe layer was mainly relieved through surface roughing and the degree of strain relaxation reached a maximum. When the samples were further oxidized, Ge accumulation could be neglected because of the self-limiting oxidation and the Ge diffusion dominated the consequent processes. As a result, Ge content at the interface was reduced, with the contribution of the strain relaxation in SiO₂ viscously, leading to the decrease of degree of strain relaxation in the SiGe layers slowly.     

在蓝宝石上生长CeO2 缓冲层的原位双温工艺法及Tl-2212薄膜的技术改进

报道了在蓝宝石衬底上制备CeO₂缓冲层的原位双温工艺法及其对Tl₂Ｂa₂CaCu₂Ｏ₈（Tl-2212）薄膜超导特性的影响．XPS和AFM测试结果表明,采用原位双温工艺法制备缓冲层,具有工艺简单,薄膜表面光滑,衬底材料原子扩散量少等特点．在先驱膜的高温后退火过程中,40 nm厚的CeO₂薄膜就能有效地阻挡衬底材料对超导薄膜底层的扩散．随后制备厚度为530 nm的Tl-2212 关键词： Tl-2212超导薄膜 蓝宝石 氧化铈缓冲层 原位双温工艺法     

Effects of interlayer coupling on the irreversibility lines of NbN/AlN superconducting multilayers

We have studied the temperature dependence of the in-plane resistivity of NbN/AlN multilayer samples with varying insulating layer thickness in magnetic fields up to 7 T parallel and perpendicular to the films. The upper critical field shows a crossover from 2D to 3D behavior in parallel fields. The irreversibility lines have the form (1-T/T(c))(alpha), where alpha varies from 4 / 3 to 2 with increasing anisotropy. The results are consistent with simultaneous melting and decoupling transitions for the low anisotropy sample, and with melting of decoupled pancakes in the superconducting layers for higher anisotropy samples.     

Degradation of the second critical magnetic field in multilayered composites with nanodimensional layers of niobium and Nb-Ti superconducting alloy

Multilayered tapes containing layers of superconducting niobium alloys with 30 and 31 wt % Ti and separated by niobium layers were investigated. The layers were ∼140 to ∼10 nm thick. Effective pinning of superconducting vortex filaments was observed on the interlayer Nb-NbTi interfaces. It was established that second critical magnetic field H _c2 decreased as the layer thickness decreased. With thin layers, its magnitude depended on the orientation of rolling the tape with respect to the external magnetic field. Results are explained by the proximity effect.     

Calculation of critical states of superconducting multilayers based on numerical solution of the Ginzburg-Landau equations for superconducting plates

Numerical methods are used to analyze the Ginzburg-Landau equations for a superconducting plate carrying transport current in a magnetic field. Critical current is calculated as a function of the applied magnetic field strength for superconducting plates with different thicknesses. The relations between the field dependence of critical current and the distributions of order parameter, magnetic field, and supercurrent in a plate are analyzed. The field-dependent critical currents computed for plates are used to determine the critical current as a function of the applied magnetic field strength and local magnetic field and current distributions for multilayers in parallel magnetic fields. The constituent superconducting layers are assumed to interact only via magnetic field. A simple method is proposed for analyzing the critical states of multilayers in magnetic fields of arbitrary strength, based on elementary transformations of the critical current-density distribution over individual layers in zero applied magnetic field. The method can be used to analyze experimental results.     

Mixing of a passive scalar across a thin shearless layer: concentration of intermittency on the sides of the turbulent interface

The advection of a passive scalar through an initial flat interface separating two different isotropic decaying turbulent fields is investigated in two and three dimensions. Simulations have been performed for a range of Taylor’s microscale Reynolds numbers from 45 to 250 and for a Schmidt number equal to 1. Different to the case where the transport involves the momentum and kinetic energy only and one intermittency layer is formed in the low-turbulent energy side of the system, in the passive scalar concentration field two intermittent layers are observed to develop at the sides of the interface. The layers move normally to the interface in opposite directions. The dimensionality produces different time scaling of the passive scalar diffusion, which is much faster in the two-dimensional case. In two dimensions, the propagation of the intermittent layers exhibits a significant asymmetry with respect to the initial position of the interface and is deeper for the layer which moves towards the high kinetic energy side of the system. In three dimensions, the two intermittent layers propagate nearly symmetrically with respect the centre of the mixing region. During the temporal decay, inside the mixing, which is both inhomogeneous and anisotropic but devoid of a mean velocity shear, the passive scalar spectra are computed. In three dimensions, the exponent in the scaling range gets in time a value close to that of the kinetic energy spectrum of isotropic turbulence (?5/3). In two dimensions, instead the exponent settles down to a value that is about one-half of the corresponding isotropic case. By means of an analysis based on simple wavy perturbations of the interface we show that the formation of the double layer of intermittency is a dynamic general feature not specific to the turbulent transport. These results of our numerical study are discussed in the context of experimental results and numerical simulations.     

The Influence of Parameters of the Stabilizing Layer of 2G HTS Tapes and the Specifics of Heat Removal on the CVC Shape in the Resistive State and on the Critical Voltage Inducing Irreversible Changes in Superconducting Properties

The actual form of the resistive section of the AC current–voltage curve (CVC) is determined experimentally. It is found that the CVC is shaped both by the electrical properties of the superconducting layer and by the thermomechanical properties of layers in the tape structure. The specific features of CVC behavior in different current ranges are determined. It is demonstrated that small amounts of heat released in stabilizing and superconducting layers do not affect the CVC shape below the critical current. Above the critical current, combined heat releases in stabilizing and superconducting layers raise the temperature and the resistance of an HTS tape in the resistive state. It is found that the stabilizing layer has a critical thickness. Below this critical level, the current in the resistive state flows primarily along the HTS layer, and its slight overheating initiates the transition of the sample to the normal state due to the thermal instability of heat removal to liquid nitrogen. In tapes with thicker copper layers, the current in the resistive state is distributed between stabilizing and HTS layers, and the transition to the normal state occurs near the critical temperature of the superconductor at zero current. The dependence of critical voltages characterizing different damage levels of HTS tapes on the thickness of the copper layer is determined. It is found that the breakdown occurs at higher voltages if step voltage is applied.     

GaN基异质结缓冲层漏电分析

通过对GaN基异质结材料C-V特性中耗尽电容的比较,得出AlGaN/GaN异质结缓冲层漏电与成核层的关系.实验结果表明,基于蓝宝石衬底低温GaN成核层和SiC衬底高温AlN成核层的异质结材料比基于蓝宝石衬底低温AlN成核层异质结材料漏电小、背景载流子浓度低.深入分析发现,基于薄成核层的异质结材料在近衬底的GaN缓冲层中具有高浓度的n型GaN导电层,而基于厚成核层的异质结材料的GaN缓冲层则呈高阻特性.GaN缓冲层中的n型导电层是导致器件漏电主要因素之一,适当提高成核层的质量和厚度可有效降低GaN缓冲层的背景载流子浓度,提高GaN缓冲层的高阻特性,抑制缓冲层漏电. 关键词： AlGaN/GaN异质结 GaN缓冲层 漏电 成核层     

Manipulating superconductivity in perpendicularly magnetized FSF triple layers

We investigate the superconducting transition temperature T_c of epitaxial ferromagnet/superconductor/ferromagnet (FSF) triple layers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Due to the different coercive fields of the top and bottom F layers (F=[Co/Pt] multilayer) different magnetized states can be achieved: a fully magnetized state where the F layer magnetizations are parallel oriented, a state DM where one layer is demagnetized, and a state DD where both layers are demagnetized. T_c is maximum in the fully magnetized state and decreases consecutively from the DM to the DD state due to the different contributions from magnetic stray fields originating from the domain walls present in the demagnetized layers. The role of the proximity effect and the effect of the stray fields on the superconductivity in the S layer can be distinguished by analyzing the temperature dependence of the upper critical field and by comparison with data taken on an FISIF multilayer where I is an insulating SiO₂ barrier. Hence, we demonstrate that T_c can be manipulated by the intentional creation of different stray-field configurations in the F layers. PACS 68.55.JK; 74.45.+c; 74.78.Db; 74.78.Fk; 75.47.-m     

Disorder and quantum fluctuations in superconducting films in strong magnetic fields

We find that the upper critical field in a two-dimensional disordered superconductor can increase essentially at low temperatures. This happens due to the formation of local superconducting islands weakly coupled via the Josephson effect. The distribution of the superconducting islands is derived. It is shown that the value of the critical field is determined by the interplay of the proximity effect and quantum phase fluctuations. The shift of the upper critical field is connected with the pinning properties of a superconductor.     

On the Effect of Boundary Conditions in the Ginzburg–Landau Theory on the Results of Calculations of the Critical State of Layered Structures

The effect of boundary conditions in the Ginzburg–Landau theory on the critical state of superconducting layered structures is studied. The method is based on the numerical solution of the Ginzburg–Landau nonlinear equations describing the behavior of a superconducting plate carrying a transport current in a magnetic field, provided the absence of vortices in it. The use of the general boundary condition for the Ginzburg–Landau system of equations leads to a change in the order parameter over the thickness of thin superconducting plates. The calculated dependences of the critical current of plates on the magnetic field applied in parallel to layers are used to determine the critical current of multilayered structures. It is assumed that the mutual influence of superconducting layers occurs only through the magnetic field induced by them.     

Nucleation and bulk crystallization in binary phase field theory

We present a phase field theory for binary crystal nucleation. In the one-component limit, quantitative agreement is achieved with computer simulations (Lennard-Jones system) and experiments (ice-water system) using model parameters evaluated from the free energy and thickness of the interface. The critical undercoolings predicted for Cu-Ni alloys accord with the measurements, and indicate homogeneous nucleation. The Kolmogorov exponents deduced for dendritic solidification and for "soft impingement" of particles via diffusion fields are consistent with experiment.