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Charge Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in superconducting NbTiN films

Journal Article · · Scientific Reports
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [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)
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.
Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation; National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1431229
Journal Information:
Scientific Reports, Journal Name: Scientific Reports Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 8; ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (6)

Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman criticality of 3D superinsulators journal October 2018
Gauge Topological Nature of the Superconductor-Insulator Transition preprint January 2017
Dynamical instability of the electric transport in superconductors journal September 2018
Superconducting phase transitions in disordered NbTiN films journal January 2020
Charging effects and anomalous resistive features of superconducting boron doped diamond films journal June 2019
Charging effects and anomalous resistive features of superconducting boron doped diamond films preprint January 2019

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