Unbinding of charge-anticharge pairs in two-dimensional arrays of small tunnel junctions

Journal Article · Mon Jul 30 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Physical Review Letters; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.65.645· OSTI ID:6542907

Mooij, J E; van Wees, B J; Geerligs, L J; Peters, M; Fazio, R; Schoen, G ^[1]

---

1. Department of Applied Physics, Delft University of Technology, Delft (The Netherlands)

We describe the behavior of charges in two-dimensional arrays of normal-metal tunnel junctions with very small capacitance. A Kosterlitz-Thouless-Berezinskii phase transition with unbinding of charge-anticharge pairs occurs at a transition temperature of about {Tc}={ital e}{sup 2}/8{pi}{ital Ck}{sub {ital B}}, with {ital C} the junction capacitance. We calculate the influence of tunneling conductance; {Tc} is reduced with increasing conductance and no transition occurs for junction conductance above (14 k{Omega}){sup {minus}1}. In the superconducting state a similar transition occurs at a 4 times higher {Tc}. We present the first experimental results on the conductive transition of an array in the normal and superconducting states.

• OSTI ID: 6542907
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters; (USA), Journal Name: Physical Review Letters; (USA) Vol. 65:5; ISSN PRLTA; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

426001* -- Engineering-- Superconducting Devices & Circuits-- (1990-)
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ALUMINIUM
CAPACITANCE
DATA
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRON GAS
ELEMENTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLUIDS
GASES
INFORMATION
JOSEPHSON JUNCTIONS
JUNCTIONS
METALS
NUMERICAL DATA
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SUPERCONDUCTING JUNCTIONS
TUNNEL EFFECT
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
ULTRALOW TEMPERATURE