Josephson effect in superconducting hybrid S/F structures with parallel and antiparallel magnetizations of the ferromagnetic layers

Abstract

The Josephson effect in S-MB-S, S/F-MB-S, and S/F-MB-F′/S superconducting hybrid structures with the parallel or antiparallel orientation of exchange fields in the layers of metal ferromagnets (F and F′) and in the magnetic barrier (MB) with arbitrary transparency has been investigated. It has been shown that the properties of the studied structures depend strongly on the orientation of the exchange fields: the exchange-field-induced stimulation of the critical current is possible for one orientation, whereas the critical current is suppressed at the opposite orientation of the exchange fields. A change in the orientation of the exchange fields can lead to the switching of the Josephson structures between 0 and π states. The effect of the pair-breaking mechanisms on the Josephson effect and on the spectrum of the Andreev levels in the S-MB-S structures has been analyzed. The results indicate the possibility of stimulating the critical current by the external magnetic field in the S-MB-S structures with thin-film superconducting banks.