Abstract
Point contact spectroscopy is commonly used to investigate electronic properties of superconductors. Here we show that nanometer scale point contacts, which enable to study the superconductor properties locally, can be created by means of the resistive switching phenomenon. Our experiments were performed on sandwiched MgB2/Al/TiO2/Pt structures, where multiple bipolar resistive switching cycles were conducted. The differential conductance as a function of voltage was measured at temperatures below the critical temperature of the MgB2 superconductor. In the low-resistance state the MgB2 and Pt electrodes are connected by an ultrathin metallic filament which creates at the MgB2 electrode the Sharvin point contact with diameter below 10 nm. In this case the differential conductance data demonstrate the Andreev reflections due to the carrier transport between the superconducting MgB2 electrode and filament. From these data the two-gap superconductivity of MgB2 is clearly visible which also confirms the fit by the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model. If the bottom electrode is made of a superconductor with known gap, our approach allows us to estimate from the Andreev reflection spectrum the resistance of both the filament and point contact. We can then determine from the Sharvin formula the cross-section size of the point contact and thus also the filament cross-section size. In the high resistance state when the filament is ruptured, the differential conductance data demonstrate the spectrum typical for tunneling between two normal metals, with a zero-bias anomaly due to the Altshuler-Aronov effect. This suggests that the filament is not ruptured at the superconducting MgB2 electrode but elsewhere.
Highlights
Point contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy (PCARS) and tunneling spectroscopy (TS) are powerful methods for investigating fundamental properties of superconductors such as the width of the superconducting energy gap[1,2] and symmetry of the order parameter[3] by means of measuring differential conductance (dI(V)/dV ) characteristics of point contacts or tunneling contacts between a normal metal (N) and superconductor (S)
We have shown experimentally that the nanometer-scale normal metal - superconductor (NS) contacts created by means of the resistive switching process can be utilized in the point contact spectroscopy measurements that allow to study the properties of superconductors locally on the nanometer scale
The resistive switching process takes place in the TiO2 layer, where the conductive nanofilament is created during the forming process
Summary
Point contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy (PCARS) and tunneling spectroscopy (TS) are powerful methods for investigating fundamental properties of superconductors such as the width of the superconducting energy gap[1,2] and symmetry of the order parameter[3] by means of measuring differential conductance (dI(V)/dV ) characteristics of point contacts or tunneling contacts between a normal metal (N) and superconductor (S). PCARS is based on the Andreev reflection, which is a phenomenon that occurs at the interface of a metal and superconductor in a direct NS contact.[5] Since there are no quasiparticle states within the superconducting energy gap ∆, if an electron from the metal with energy lower than ∆ impinges such. In the case of tunneling normal metal-insulator-superconductor (NIS) junctions, the lack of quasiparticle states within ±∆ in the superconductor leads to zero tunneling probability and zero differential conductivity in this energy range. We note that the two above mentioned scenarios are ideal cases and intermediate types of junctions, which are well described by the BTK theory, may exist
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