Current-voltage relation of a normal-metal--superconductor junction
- Purdue University, School of Electrical Engineering, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (United States)
We calculate the electrical and heat currents flowing through a narrow, mesoscopic, normal-metal--superconductor (NS) junction containing a single point impurity. The NS junction exhibits large subgap conduction steps in its current-voltage ([ital I]-[ital V]) relation when the impurity is located in the normal metal. Our new subgap step appears in the [ital I]-[ital V] characteristic whenever an additional quasiparticle is trapped between the impurity and NS interface. Locating the impurity inside the superconductor produces both an excess current'' and oscillations in the [ital I]-[ital V] characteristic analogous to the Tomasch effect. A maximum excess current of 2[ital e][Delta]/[ital h], slightly less than the 8[ital e][Delta]/3[ital h] found for a ballistic NS junction obtains when the impurity is located a few coherence lengths inside the superconductor.
- OSTI ID:
- 5680398
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States), Vol. 48:20; ISSN 0163-1829
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
SUPERCONDUCTING JUNCTIONS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
BCS THEORY
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
TUNNEL EFFECT
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
JUNCTIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
665411* - Basic Superconductivity Studies- (1992-)