Charge fluctuations in small-capacitance junctions

Journal Article · Mon Mar 26 04:00:00 EST 1990 · Physical Review Letters; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.64.1565· OSTI ID:6900721

Cleland, A N; Schmidt, J M; Clarke, J ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720 (USA) Materials and Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories, Berkeley, California 94720 (USA)

The current-voltage characteristics of submicron normal-metal tunnel junctions at millikelvin temperatures are observed to exhibit a sharp Coulomb blockade with high-resistance thin-film leads, but to be heavily smeared for low-resistance leads. As the temperature is lowered, the zero-bias differential resistance tends asymptotically to a limit that is greater for junctions with high-resistance leads. Both observations are explained in terms of a model in which quantum fluctuations in the external circuit enhance the low-temperature tunneling rate. The predictions are in reasonable agreement with the data.

• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 6900721
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters; (USA), Journal Name: Physical Review Letters; (USA) Vol. 64:13; 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
ALLOYS
ALUMINIUM
CAPACITANCE
CHALCOGENIDES
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
COPPER ALLOYS
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRODES
ELEMENTS
FILMS
FLUCTUATIONS
GOLD ALLOYS
GOLD BASE ALLOYS
JUNCTIONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MECHANICS
MEDIUM TEMPERATURE
METALS
NICKEL ALLOYS
NICKEL BASE ALLOYS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
QUANTUM MECHANICS
RANGE
SUPERCONDUCTING JUNCTIONS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THIN FILMS
TUNNEL EFFECT
ULTRALOW TEMPERATURE
VARIATIONS