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Title: Charge Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in superconducting NbTiN films

Abstract

Three decades after the prediction of charge-vortex duality in the critical vicinity of the two-dimensional superconductor-insulator transition (SIT), one of the fundamental implications of this duality-the charge Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition that should occur on the insulating side of the SIT-has remained unobserved. The dual picture of the process points to the existence of a superinsulating state endowed with zero conductance at finite temperature. Here, we report the observation of the charge BKT transition on the insulating side of the SIT in 10 nm thick NbTiN films, identified by the BKT critical behavior of the temperature and magnetic field dependent resistance, and map out the magnetic-field dependence of the critical temperature of the charge BKT transition. Lastly, we ascertain the effects of the finite electrostatic screening length and its divergence at the magnetic field-tuned approach to the superconductor-insulator transition.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [3];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [4];  [5]
  1. A. V. Rzhanov Institute of Semiconductor Physics SB RAS, Novosibirsk (Russia); Novosibirsk State Univ., Novosibirsk (Russia)
  2. California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)
  3. Institut de recherches sur les lois fundamentales de l’univers, Gif-sur-Yvette (France)
  4. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States)
  5. A. V. Rzhanov Institute of Semiconductor Physics SB RAS, Novosibirsk (Russia); Novosibirsk State Univ., Novosibirsk (Russia); The Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States); Univ. Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid (Spain)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division; Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation; Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
OSTI Identifier:
1431229
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-06CH11357
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Scientific Reports
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 8; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY

Citation Formats

Mironov, Alexey Yu., Silevitch, Daniel M., Proslier, Thomas, Postolova, Svetlana V., Burdastyh, Maria V., Gutakovskii, Anton K., Rosenbaum, Thomas F., Vinokur, Valerii V., and Baturina, Tatyana I. Charge Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in superconducting NbTiN films. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-22451-1.
Mironov, Alexey Yu., Silevitch, Daniel M., Proslier, Thomas, Postolova, Svetlana V., Burdastyh, Maria V., Gutakovskii, Anton K., Rosenbaum, Thomas F., Vinokur, Valerii V., & Baturina, Tatyana I. Charge Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in superconducting NbTiN films. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22451-1
Mironov, Alexey Yu., Silevitch, Daniel M., Proslier, Thomas, Postolova, Svetlana V., Burdastyh, Maria V., Gutakovskii, Anton K., Rosenbaum, Thomas F., Vinokur, Valerii V., and Baturina, Tatyana I. Tue . "Charge Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in superconducting NbTiN films". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22451-1. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1431229.
@article{osti_1431229,
title = {Charge Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in superconducting NbTiN films},
author = {Mironov, Alexey Yu. and Silevitch, Daniel M. and Proslier, Thomas and Postolova, Svetlana V. and Burdastyh, Maria V. and Gutakovskii, Anton K. and Rosenbaum, Thomas F. and Vinokur, Valerii V. and Baturina, Tatyana I.},
abstractNote = {Three decades after the prediction of charge-vortex duality in the critical vicinity of the two-dimensional superconductor-insulator transition (SIT), one of the fundamental implications of this duality-the charge Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition that should occur on the insulating side of the SIT-has remained unobserved. The dual picture of the process points to the existence of a superinsulating state endowed with zero conductance at finite temperature. Here, we report the observation of the charge BKT transition on the insulating side of the SIT in 10 nm thick NbTiN films, identified by the BKT critical behavior of the temperature and magnetic field dependent resistance, and map out the magnetic-field dependence of the critical temperature of the charge BKT transition. Lastly, we ascertain the effects of the finite electrostatic screening length and its divergence at the magnetic field-tuned approach to the superconductor-insulator transition.},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-018-22451-1},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = 1,
volume = 8,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Mar 06 00:00:00 EST 2018},
month = {Tue Mar 06 00:00:00 EST 2018}
}

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Superconducting phase transitions in ultrathin TiN films
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Nanopattern-stimulated superconductor-insulator transition in thin TiN films
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High field termination of a Cooper-pair insulator
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Experimental evidence for a collective insulating state in two-dimensional superconductors
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Works referencing / citing this record:

Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman criticality of 3D superinsulators
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Superconducting phase transitions in disordered NbTiN films
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