Abstract
We have studied the insulator–superconductor transition (IST) by tuning the thickness in quench-condensed Bi films. The relevant length scales at the IST are the localization length, and the coherence length. However, at the transition, the localization length is much higher than the superconducting coherence length, contrary to expectation. The current–voltage characteristics of the superconducting films are hysteretic, and show the films to be granular. The relevant energy scales here are the Josephson coupling energy and the charging energy. However, Josephson coupling energies ( E J) and the charging energies ( E c) at the IST are found to obey the relation E J< E c. This is again contrary to expectation. We conclude that the IST observed in our experiments may be either an intermediate case between the fermionic and bosonic mechanisms, or in a regime of charge and vortex dynamics for which a quantitative analysis has not yet been done.
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