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Nanopattern-stimulated superconductor-insulator transition in thin TiN films.

Journal Article · · Europhys. Lett.
We present the results of the comparative study of transport properties of continuous and nanoperforated TiN films, enabling us to separate the disorder and the geometry effects. Nanopatterning transforms a thin TiN film into an array of superconducting weak links and eo ipso stimulates the disorder- and magnetic-field-driven superconductor-to-insulator transitions, shifting both transitions to a lower degree of microscopic disorder. We observe magnetoresistance oscillations reflecting collective phase-frustration behaviour of the multiconnected superconducting weak link network in a wide range of temperatures. We find that nanopatterning enhances the role of the two-dimensional Coulomb interaction and changes the characteristic energies of the film on length scales significantly larger than the mean free path or the superconducting coherence length.
Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
Sponsoring Organization:
SC; Russian Academy of Sciences; Russian Foundation for Basic Research
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1013333
Report Number(s):
ANL/MSD/JA-69986
Journal Information:
Europhys. Lett., Journal Name: Europhys. Lett. Journal Issue: 4 ; Feb. 2011 Vol. 93; ISSN 0295-5075
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH