Modeling the power flow in normal conductor-insulator-superconductor junctions

Jochum, J; Mears, C; Golwala, S; Sadoulet, B; Castle, J P; Cunningham, M F; Drury, O B; Frank, M; Labov, S E; Lipschultz, F P; Netel, H; Neuhauser, B

doi:10.1063/1.367121

Title: Modeling the power flow in normal conductor-insulator-superconductor junctions

Full Record
Other Related Research

Abstract

Normal conductor-insulator-superconductor (NIS) junctions promise to be interesting for x-ray and phonon sensing applications, in particular due to the expected self-cooling of the N electrode by the tunneling current. Such cooling would enable the operation of the active element of the sensor below the cryostat temperature and at a correspondingly higher sensitivity. It would also allow the use of NIS junctions as microcoolers. At present, this cooling has not been realized in large area junctions (suitable for a number of detector applications). In this article, we discuss a detailed modeling of the heat flow in such junctions; we show how the heat flow into the normal electrode by quasiparticle back-tunneling and phonon absorption from quasiparticle pair recombination can overcompensate the cooling power. This provides a microscopic explanation of the self-heating effects we observe in our large area NIS junctions. The model suggests a number of possible solutions. {copyright} {ital 1998 American Institute of Physics.}

Authors:

Jochum, J ^[1]; Mears, C ^[2]; Golwala, S; Sadoulet, B ^[1]; Castle, J P; Cunningham, M F; Drury, O B ^[3]; Frank, M; Labov, S E ^[2]; Lipschultz, F P ^[3]; Netel, H ^[2]; Neuhauser, B ^[3]

Center for Particle Astrophysics, University of California at Berkeley, 301 Le Conte Hall, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)
Physics and Space Technology Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, L-418, Livermore, California 94551 (United States)
Thin Film Laboratory, Department of Physics and Astrophysics, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway, San Francisco, California 94132 (United States)

Publication Date:: Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1998

OSTI Identifier:: 570280

Resource Type:: Journal Article

Journal Name:: Journal of Applied Physics

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 83; Journal Issue: 6; Other Information: PBD: Mar 1998

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 66 PHYSICS; X-RAY DETECTION; PHONONS; SUPERCONDUCTING JUNCTIONS; SIMULATION; MONTE CARLO METHOD; POWER; COOLING; HEAT FLUX; RADIATION DETECTION

Citation Formats


                    Jochum, J, Mears, C, Golwala, S, Sadoulet, B, Castle, J P, Cunningham, M F, Drury, O B, Frank, M, Labov, S E, Lipschultz, F P, Netel, H, and Neuhauser, B. Modeling the power flow in normal conductor-insulator-superconductor junctions.  United States: N. p., 1998. 
        Web.  doi:10.1063/1.367121.

Copy to clipboard


                    Jochum, J, Mears, C, Golwala, S, Sadoulet, B, Castle, J P, Cunningham, M F, Drury, O B, Frank, M, Labov, S E, Lipschultz, F P, Netel, H, & Neuhauser, B. Modeling the power flow in normal conductor-insulator-superconductor junctions.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1063/1.367121

Copy to clipboard


                    Jochum, J, Mears, C, Golwala, S, Sadoulet, B, Castle, J P, Cunningham, M F, Drury, O B, Frank, M, Labov, S E, Lipschultz, F P, Netel, H, and Neuhauser, B. 1998.  
        "Modeling the power flow in normal conductor-insulator-superconductor junctions".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1063/1.367121.

Copy to clipboard


                    
@article{osti_570280,

  title        = {Modeling the power flow in normal conductor-insulator-superconductor junctions},

  author       = {Jochum, J and Mears, C and Golwala, S and Sadoulet, B and Castle, J P and Cunningham, M F and Drury, O B and Frank, M and Labov, S E and Lipschultz, F P and Netel, H and Neuhauser, B},

  abstractNote = {Normal conductor-insulator-superconductor (NIS) junctions promise to be interesting for x-ray and phonon sensing applications, in particular due to the expected self-cooling of the N electrode by the tunneling current. Such cooling would enable the operation of the active element of the sensor below the cryostat temperature and at a correspondingly higher sensitivity. It would also allow the use of NIS junctions as microcoolers. At present, this cooling has not been realized in large area junctions (suitable for a number of detector applications). In this article, we discuss a detailed modeling of the heat flow in such junctions; we show how the heat flow into the normal electrode by quasiparticle back-tunneling and phonon absorption from quasiparticle pair recombination can overcompensate the cooling power. This provides a microscopic explanation of the self-heating effects we observe in our large area NIS junctions. The model suggests a number of possible solutions. {copyright} {ital 1998 American Institute of Physics.}},

  doi          = {10.1063/1.367121},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/570280},
  journal      = {Journal of Applied Physics},
number       = 6,

  volume       = 83,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1998},

  month        = {Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1998}

}

Copy to clipboard

Journal Article:

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.367121

Other availability

Find in Google Scholar

Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal

Save / Share:

Export Metadata

Save to My Library

Similar records in OSTI.GOV collections:

Design of a novel on-chip electronic refrigerator based on a normal-insulator-superconductor tunnel junction

Journal Article Fisher, P; Ullom, J; Nahum, M - Journal of Low Temperature Physics

We present a design for a novel electronic refrigerator having a base temperature of about 18 mK when operating from a bath temperature as high as 1.5 K. This all-electronic refrigerator is a factor of 10{sup 4} smaller and lighter than dilution and adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators, and is compatible with conventional photolithographic fabrication. The refrigerator, based on the unique thermal transport properties of a normal-insulator-superconductor (NIS) tunnel function, preferentially removes electrons whose energy is higher than the Fermi energy from a normal metal. Electrons with an average energy equal to the Fermi energy are returned to the metal by amore »« less
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00753354
Nonequilibrium theory of a hot-electron bolometer with normal metal-insulator-superconductor tunnel junction

Journal Article Golubev, Dmitri; Kuzmin, Leonid - Journal of Applied Physics

The operation of the hot-electron bolometer with normal metal-insulator-superconductor (NIS) tunnel junction as a temperature sensor is analyzed theoretically. The responsivity and the noise equivalent power (NEP) of the bolometer are obtained numerically for typical experimental parameters. Relatively simple approximate analytical expressions for these values are derived. The time constant of the device is also found. We demonstrate that the effect of the electron cooling by the NIS junction, which serves as a thermometer, can improve the sensitivity. This effect is also useful in the presence of the finite background power load. We discuss the effect of the correlation ofmore »« less
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1351002
Quasiparticle behavior in tunnel junction refrigerators

Conference Fisher, P; Ullaom, J

We present simulations of quasiparticle creation, propagation, and loss in the superconducting electrode of a normal-insulator-superconductor tunnel junction refrigerator. We calculate the electronic temperature in the superconducting electrode from self-consistent solutions to the diffusion equation. We then calculate the power load on the normal electrode due to recombination phonons and the reduction in cooling power due to the elevated temperature of the superconductor. Our calculations explain the degraded cooling performance observed in 15-20 pm sized Ag/AlOx/Al junctions.
Full Text Available
Novel Refrigerator Development

Conference Ullom, J; Cunningham, M; Drury, O; ...

In part 1, we describe how the creation of quasiparticles by current flow through a normal-insulator-superconductor (NIS) junction degrades the cooling performance of the junction. Degradation occurs due to the absorption of recombination phonons in the normal electrode and due to a reduction in the cooling power. In part 2, we describe how vibrations from a pulse tube mechanical cooler affect X-ray measurements performed with a superconducting tunnel junction.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-9002(99)01323-6

Full Text Available
Theory of the low-voltage impedance of superconductor-- p insulator--normal metal tunnel junctions

Journal Article Lemberger, T - Phys. Rev. Lett.; (United States)

A theory for the low-voltage impedance of a superconductor-- p insulator--normal metal tunnel junction is developed that includes the effects of charge imbalance and of quasiparticle fluctuations. A novel, inelastic, charge-imbalance relaxation process is identified that is associated with the junction itself. This new process leads to the surprising result that the charge-imbalance component of the dc resistance of a junction becomes independent of the electron-phonon scattering rate as the insulator resistance decreases.
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.52.1029

Similar Records