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Superconducting energy gap of niobium nitride

Journal Article · · Sov. Phys. - JETP (Engl. Transl.); (United States)
OSTI ID:5817878
The superconducting energy gap ..delta.. was measured by the electron tunneling method in niobium nitride having a columnar structure and a superconducting transition temperature T/sub c/ = 16.15 K. The values obtained, ..delta../sub 0/ = 2.46 meV and 2..delta../sub 0//kT/sub c/ = 3.53, are practically in agreement with the BCS theory. The temperature dependence of ..delta..(T) was measured in the temperature interval 2--6.5 K. It was found that the decrease of the gap with increasing temperature is faster than in accord with the BCS theory, but the vanishing of gap takes place at T = T/sub c/. The results are compared with earlier data obtained using worse samples. It turned out that with deteriorating sample quality the value of T/sub c/ decreases more rapidly than ..delta../sub 0/. The ratio 2..delta../sub 0//kT/sub c/ for poor samples can therefore reach 6.
Research Organization:
P. N. Lebedev Physics Institute, USSR Academy of Sciences and Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys
OSTI ID:
5817878
Journal Information:
Sov. Phys. - JETP (Engl. Transl.); (United States), Journal Name: Sov. Phys. - JETP (Engl. Transl.); (United States) Vol. 53:6; ISSN SPHJA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English