Whole-wafer fabrication process for three-terminal double stacked tunnel junctions

A new fabrication process for three-terminal superconducting devices consisting of two Josephson junctions in a stacked configuration is reported. The process is based on the deposition of the whole Nb/Al_xO_y/Nb-Al/Al_xO_y/Nb multilayer on a Si crystalline wafer without any vacuum breaking. Lift-off techniques, anodization processes and a SiO film deposition have been adopted for patterning and insulating the two tunnel stacked junctions. Devices have been characterized in terms of current-voltage (I-V) curves and Josephson critical current vs. the externally applied magnetic field. They show high quality factors (V _m values up to 65 mV at 4.2 K), and good current uniformity. Received 5 June 2001     

Nanosize patterns as reference structures for macroscopic transport properties and vortex phases in YBCO films

This paper reports on the striking correlation between nanosize mosaic domain walls in YBCO films and 1D rows of parallel Josephson junctions, determining the J _c vs.B curves. From X-ray data analysis, it results that the average “hidden" domain wall, faceted at a nanometric scale, is almost mimicking the Josephson Junction (JJ) 1D array. The assumption that the JJs and the domain-wall arrays are coincident, enables to find out the particular scaling field, making the J _c vs.B curves independent of temperature. This scaling field can be interpreted in terms of the Josephson nature of the transport current across these particular patterns in the intermediate temperature range. By means of our model it is also possible to calculate two asymptotic behaviors of the pinning force as a function of field, for low and high fields, respectively. These behaviors are punctually repeated by the experimental results in the same asymptotic limit, so that two corresponding vortex regimes are clearly pointed out. All results can be interpreted by concluding that in the intermediate temperature range, the strong pinning observed in high quality YBCO films is due to the Josephson Junctions average patterns. These patterns are the counterpart related to the transport mechanisms of “hidden" structural nano-domains. Received 16 October 2000 and Received in final form 28 November 2000     

MO analysis of macroscopic supercurrent flow in MgB 2

We present results from an extended magneto-optical (MO) analysis of two samples cut from high-density pellets of MgB₂. The first sample was studied in order to show that no matter how large the sample is and despite the bulk granularity, the material enters into a critical state in a crystal-like fashion. The second sample was chosen for the quantitative analysis. A numerical approach based on an inverted 2D Biot-Savart model was used to calculate the current paths across the homogeneous polycrystalline bulk, as well as in the vicinity and across some morphological defects. Local current densities in the homogeneous part were estimated as a function of the applied magnetic field at different temperatures, in three regimes: below full penetration, at full penetration and above full penetration, respectively. A hypothesis of interpretation of the apparent absence of magnetic granularity inside the polycrystalline microstructure is presented. It is related to a critical state likely reached by a network of strongly coupled Josephson junctions. Received 31 May 2001 and Received in final form 5 December 2001     

Quantum phase expectation values of a mesoscopic Josephson junction from quantum current measurements

A simple way to acquire information on the mean values of the phase operators sinϕ and cosϕ of an ultrasmall Josephson junction prepared in an arbitrary pure or not state is reported. Our proposal exploits the recently predicted occurrence of current spikes in the I-V characteristic of a mesojunction irradiated by a quantum single-mode low-intensity coherent electromagnetic field. A necessary condition for the validity of our treatment is presented and discussed. Received 11 April 2001     

Coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism in ferromagnet/superconductor proximity structures

The Nambu spinor Green's function approach is applied to calculating the density of states (DOS) and superconducting order parameter in normal-metal/insulator/ferromagnet/superconductor (NM/I/FM/SC) junctions. It is found that the s-wave superconductivity and ferromagnetism can coexist near the FM/SC interface, which is induced by proximity effect. On the SC side, the spin-dependent DOS appears both within and without the energy gap. On the FM side, the superconducting order parameter displays a damped oscillation and the DOS exhibits some superconducting behavior. The calculated result for the DOS in FM for “0 state” and “π state” can reproduce recent tunneling spectra in Al/Al₂O₃/PdNi/Nb tunnel junctions. Received 1st July 2002 Published online 19 November 2002     

Coexistence of superconductivity and spin density wave orderings in the organic superconductor (TMTSF) 2 PF 6

The phase diagram of the organic superconductor (TMTSF)₂PF₆has been revisited using transport measurements with an improved control of the applied pressure. We have found a 0.8 kbar wide pressure domain below the critical point (9.43 kbar, 1.2 K) for the stabilisation of the superconducting ground state featuring a coexistence regime between spin density wave (SDW) and superconductivity (SC). The inhomogeneous character of the said pressure domain is supported by the analysis of the resistivity between T _SDW and T _SC and the superconducting critical current. The onset temperature T _SC is practically constant ( 1.20±0.01 K) in this region where only the SC/SDW domain proportion below T _SC is increasing under pressure. An homogeneous superconducting state is recovered above the critical pressure with T _SC falling at increasing pressure. We propose a model comparing the free energy of a phase exhibiting a segregation between SDW and SC domains and the free energy of homogeneous phases which explains fairly well our experimental findings. Received 3 September 2001 and Received in final form 9 November 2001     

0-π oscillations in nanostructured Nb/Fe/Nb Josephson junctions

The physics of the π phase shift in ferromagnetic Josephson junctions may enable a range of applications for spin-electronic devices and quantum computing. We investigate transitions from “0” to “π” states in Nb/Fe/Nb Josephson junctions by varying the Fe barrier thickness from 0.5 nm to 5.5 nm. From magnetic measurements we estimate for Fe a magnetic dead layer of about 1.1 nm. By fitting the characteristic voltage oscillations with existing theoretical models we extrapolate an exchange energy of 256 meV, a Fermi velocity of 1.98 ×10⁵ m/s and an electron mean free path of 6.2 nm, in agreement with other reported values. From the temperature dependence of the I_CR_N product we show that its decay rate exhibits a nonmonotonic oscillatory behavior with the Fe barrier thickness.     

Large grain boundary area superconductors

For many applications of polycrystalline high-T _c superconductors the small critical currents of the grain boundaries pose a severe problem. To solve this problem, we derive novel designs for the microstructure of coated conductors. Received 25 February 2002 Published online 6 June 2002     

Magnetic properties of Yb Mo O and Gd Mo O from rare earth Mössbauer measurements

Using ¹⁷⁰Yb and ¹⁵⁵Gd M?ssbauer measurements down to ∼ 0.03 K, we have examined the semiconducting pyrochlore Yb₂Mo₂O₇ where the Mo intra-sublattice interaction is anti-ferromagnetic and the metallic pyrochlore Gd₂Mo₂O₇ where this interaction is ferromagnetic. Additional information was obtained from susceptibility, magnetisation and ¹⁷²Yb perturbed angular correlation measurements. The microscopic measurements evidence lattice disorder which is important in Yb₂Mo₂O₇ and modest in Gd₂Mo₂O₇. Magnetic irreversibilities occur at 17 K in Yb₂Mo₂O₇ and at 75 K in Gd₂Mo₂O₇ and below these temperatures the rare earths carry magnetic moments which are induced through couplings with the Mo sublattice. In Gd₂Mo₂O₇, we observe the steady state Gd hyperfine populations at 0.027 K are out of thermal equilibrium, indicating that Gd and Mo spin fluctuations persist at very low temperatures. Frustration is thus operative in this essentially isotropic pyrochlore where the dominant Mo intra-sublattice interaction is ferromagnetic. Received 13 January 2003 Published online 4 June 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: hodges@drecam.saclay.cea.fr     

Magneto-optical Faraday and Kerr effect of orthoferrite thin films at high temperatures

Orthoferrites present, as bulk materials, reorientation transitions of their magnetic moment alignment at temperatures depending on the rare-earth (RE) ion. In particular, orthoferrites (REFeO₃) with RE = Sm, Dy, present this transition at T _SRT = 443 K and 36 K, respectively. The spectra of the complex Kerr and Faraday angle have been measured on orthoferrite thin films (RE = Sm, Dy, Y), which were prepared by pulsed laser deposition on amorphous quartz substrates. The obtained spectra exhibit contributions of both surfaces and interfaces. Propagation effects of the polarized light in the magneto-optical medium which is interpreted in terms of a simplified theoretical formalism, is also observed. For selected photon energies, temperature dependent Faraday rotation measurements, , on orthoferrite thin films (RE = Sm, Dy, Y) have been performed. A quite different thermal variation compared to the bulk magnetization has been observed. Curie temperatures are found to be close to the bulk values or slightly larger by 10 K to 20 K as in the case of DyFeO₃ and YFeO₃. For RE = Sm and Dy, increases with increasing temperature contrary to the saturation magnetization, passes through a maximum at about 460 K and vanishes with a T _C of 647±18 K, 695 K for RE = Sm and Dy respectively. Received 28 July 2000     

Phase transitions of a spin-one alternating magnetic superlattice

We examine the critical behavior of a magnetic superlattice which made up of two magnetic materials, A and B. Using the effective field theory with a probability distribution technique that accounts for the single-site spin correlation, we derive the analytical equation for the Curie temperature of the superlattice which alternates as ABAB...AB. The dependence of the Curie temperature on the interface coupling strength J_ab and the layer number of the finite superlattice was calculated. The effects of the surface modification are also studied. Received 2 March 2001     

Nuclear spins, magnetic moments and α-decay spectroscopy of long-lived isomeric states in 185Pb

Alpha-decay properties of the neutron-deficient isotope ¹⁸⁵Pb were studied at the PSB-ISOLDE (CERN) on-line mass separator using the resonance ionisation laser ion source (RILIS). The nuclei of interest were produced in a 1.4 GeV proton-induced spallation reaction of a uranium graphite target. In contrast to previous studies, two α-decaying isomeric states were identified in ¹⁸⁵Pb. The relative production of the isomers, monitored by their α-counting rates, could be significantly changed when a narrow-bandwidth laser at the RILIS setup was used to scan through the atomic hyperfine structure. Based on the atomic hyperfine structure measurements, along with the systematics for heavier odd-mass lead isotopes, the spin and the parity of these states were interpreted as 3/2^- and 13/2⁺ and their nuclear magnetic moments were deduced. The α-decay energy and half-life value for the I ^π = 13/2⁺ isomer are E _α = 6408(5) keV, T _1/2 = 4.3(2) s, respectively; while for the I ^π = 3/2^- isomer ( T _1/2 = 6.3(4) s) two α-decays with E _α1 = 6288(5) keV, I _α1 = 56(2)% and E _α2 = 6486(5) keV, I _α2 = 44(2)% were observed. By observing prompt α-γ coincidences new information on the low-lying states in the daughter isotope ¹⁸¹Hg was obtained. Received: 7 February 2002 / Accepted: 19 February 2002     

Inelastic relaxation and noise temperature in S/N/S junctions

We studied electronic relaxation in long diffusive superconductor/normal metal/superconductor (S/N/S) junctions by means of current noise and transport measurements down to very low temperature (100mK). Samples with normal metal lengths of 4, 10 and 60μm have been investigated. In all samples the shot noise increases very rapidly with the voltage. This is interpreted in terms of enhanced heating of the electron gas confined between the two S/N interfaces. Experimental results are analyzed quantitatively taking into account electron-phonon interaction and heat transfer through the S/N interfaces. Transport measurements reveal that in all samples the two S/N interfaces are connected incoherently, as shown by the reentrance of the resistance at low temperature. The complementarity of noise and transport measurements allows us to show that the energy dependence of the reentrance at low voltage is essentially due to the increasing effective temperature of the quasiparticles in the normal metal. Received 5 February 2002 / Received in final form 6 September 2002 Published online 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: hoffmann@drfmc.ceng.cea.fr     

The “island of inversion" from a nuclear moments perspective and the g factor of 35Si

This paper reviews recent results from electromagnetic moment measurements on isotopes in the island of inversion around N=20. The obtained moments on neutron rich Na, Mg, Al and Si isotopes allow to draw conclusions on the amount of intruder components in their ground state wave function, demonstrating a gradual transition from the normal sd-shell region into the island of inversion, starting at N=18 for Na, N=19 for Mg and N=20 for Al isotopes. A measurement of the ground state g factor of ³⁵Si (N=21), using a polarized fragment beam at GANIL, is discussed in more detail. The magnetic moment μ(³⁵Si, I^π= 7/2^-) = (-)1.638(4) μ_N is consistent with a normal ground state structure, dominated by a νf_7/2 neutron.     

Damage processes in Fe 3 O 4 magnetic insulator irradiated by swift heavy ions. Experimental results and modelisation

The behavior of the magnetic properties of magnetite Fe₃O₄ irradiated by swift heavy ions is investigated by magnetization measurements. Although there is no induced structural phase transformation, both coercive field and saturation magnetization are sensitive to ion irradiation and exhibit different behaviors depending on the ion fluence range. In the low fluence regime, the coercive field increases, which is evidence for a strong pinning of magnetic domain boundaries by the induced defects. The magnetization shows a decrease in the saturation value and tends to reorient perpendicularly to the ion track axis. At high fluence, the initial magnetic properties of the sample are nearly restored. The changes in the magnitude and the direction of magnetization are interpreted by magnetostrictive effects related to the stress induced by irradiation. A phenomenological model is applied to reproduce the fluence evolution of the saturation magnetization, assuming relaxation of the stress induced around the core of defects of the tracks by overlapping effects at high fluence. The results are compared to those obtained in the case of yttrium iron garnet Y₃Fe₅O₁₂. Received 18 April 2001 and Received in final form 24 July 2001     

c-axis tunneling on YBCO films

We have measured I(V) characteristics of c-axis planar tunnel junctions on Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O _{7 - δ} films. Our results and their analysis provide experimental support for the importance of the two-dimensional character of the YBCO band structure, and a method to measure the ratio between the Fermi energy of YBCO and the barrier height. The analysis is based on the relation between the linear conductance background, related to the inelastic tunneling component, and the zero bias conductance, related to the elastic one. Received 24 September 2000 and Received in final form 15 November 2000     

Magnetic properties of the cyclic spincluster Fe6:bicine

The magnetic properties of the cyclic compound [Fe₆(bicine)₆] LiClO₄ ^. 2MeOH are reported. The cluster Fe₆(bicine)₆ forms an antiferromagnetically coupled ring structure of Fe ^III ions. The magnetic susceptibility is measured between 2 and 300 K and yields the exchange coupling of J/k _B = - 27.5±0.5 K. The field dependence of the magnetic moment is studied at 3 and 6 K in magnetic fields up to 5 T. The zero-field splitting of the first excited spin states with S = 2 and 3 are determined by ESR at 94 GHz. The intra-molecular interactions of the Fe ^III ions are analyzed and the on-site anisotropy of the Fe ^III due to the ligand-configuration is determined to d /k _B = - 0.633±0.008K. Received 28 October 2002 / Received in final form 22 February 2003 Published online 20 June 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: bernd@piobelix.physik.uni-karlsruhe.de     

The 3701 keV neutron g 9/2 single-particle state in 57Ni

The neutron g _9/2 single-particle state in ⁵⁷Ni has been unambiguously identified in a combined measurement of the linear polarization, angular distribution, and angular correlation of γ rays following the fusion-evaporation reaction ²⁸Si(³²S,2pn)⁵⁷Ni at a beam energy of 90 MeV. The linear polarization was measured with a Euroball cluster detector and a prototype of an encapsulated six-fold segmented hexaconical Ge-detector. The spin of the 3701 keV level in ⁵⁷Ni was confirmed to be I= 9/2 and its parity determined to be positive. Received: 24 September 1999 / Revised version: 22 October 1999     

High-resolution LIF measurements on hyperfine structure and isotope shifts in various states of Lu I using the second and third harmonic of a cw Ti:sapphire laser

With the second and third harmonic of a tunable single-mode cw Ti:S laser, generated inside external enhancement cavities, high-resolution LIF measurements on several states of Lu I in various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are performed. From these measurements, hyperfine structure A and B constants for both ¹⁷⁵Lu and ¹⁷⁶Lu as well as isotope shifts have been determined for all levels observed in the single-step excitation process. From the measured A constants, the magnetic hyperfine structure anomaly has been derived for various states. Received 14 January 2002 Published online 19 July 2002     

Two-step flux penetration in classic antiferromagnetic superconductor

The influence of antiferromagnetic order on the mixed state of a superconductor may result in creation of spin-flop domains along vortices. This may happen when an external magnetic field is strong enough to flip over magnetic moments in the vortex core from their ground state configuration. The formation of domain structure causes modification of the surface energy barrier, and creation of the new state in which magnetic flux density is independent of the applied field. The modified surface energy barrier has been calculated for parameters of the antiferromagnetic superconductor DyMo₆S₈. The prediction of two-step flux penetration process has been verified by precise magnetization measurements performed on the single crystal of DyMo₆S₈ at milikelvin temperatures. A characteristic plateau on the virgin curve B(H ₀) has been found and attributed to the modified surface energy barrier. The end of the plateau determines the critical field, which we call the second critical field for flux penetration. Received 16 August 2002 / Received in final form 22 October 2002 Published online 29 November 2002