Low-temperature Scanning Laser Microscopy Research Articles

Some aspects of the resistive-to-normal state transition caused by direct and microwave currents in superconducting thin films with phase slip lines

Based on analysis of current-voltage characteristics and imaging of the resistive state of thin-film tin strips using low-temperature laser scanning microscopy (LTLSM), the process of destruction of superconductivity by current and microwave irradiation with the formation and spatial rearrangement of the order parameter phase slip lines, and their transformation into discrete localized normal domains are shown. The prospects of LTLSM are considered from the point of view of the study of the high-frequency properties of superconducting structures and spatial characteristics in the pre-critical state for instrumental applications.

Phase-resolved visualization of radio-frequency standing waves in superconducting spiral resonator for metamaterial applications

Superconducting microcircuits and metamaterials are promising candidates for use in new generation cryogenic electronics. Their functionality is largely justified by the macroscopic distribution of electromagnetic fields in arranged unit cells, rather than by the microscopic properties of composite materials. We present a new method for visualizing the spatial structure of penetrating microwaves with microscopic resolution in planar superconducting macroscopic resonators as the most important circuit-forming elements of modern microelectronics. This method uses a low-temperature laser scanning microscope that examines the phase (i.e., direction) and amplitude of local radio-frequency currents versus the two-dimensional coordinates of the superconducting resonant structure under test. Phase-sensitive contrast is achieved by synchronizing the intensity-modulated laser radiation with the resonant harmonics of the microwave signal passing through the sample. In this case, the laser-beam-induced loss in the illuminated area will strongly depend on the local phase difference between the RF carrier signal and the spatially temporal structure of the focused laser oscillation. This approach eliminates the hardware limitations of the existing technique of radio-frequency microscopy and brings the phase-sensitive demodulation mode to the level necessary for studying the physics of superconducting metamaterials. The advantage of the presented method over the previous method of RF laser scanning micros-copy is demonstrated by the example of the formation of standing waves in a spiral superconducting Archimedean resonator up to the 38th eigenmode resonance.

Direct Visualization of Phase-Locking of Large Josephson Junction Arrays by Surface Electromagnetic Waves

Phase-locking of oscillators leads to superradiant amplification of the emission power. This is particularly important for development of THz sources, which suffer from low emission efficacy. In this work we study large Josephson junction arrays containing several thousands of Nb-based junctions. Using low-temperature scanning laser microscopy we observe that at certain bias conditions two-dimensional standing-wave patterns are formed, manifesting global synchronization of the arrays. Analysis of standing waves indicates that they are formed by surface plasmon type electromagnetic waves propagating at the electrode/substrate interface. Thus we demonstrate that surface waves provide an effective mechanism for long-range coupling and phase-locking of large junction arrays.

Imaging collective behavior in an rf-SQUID metamaterial tuned by DC and RF magnetic fields

We examine the collective behavior of two-dimensional nonlinear superconducting metamaterials using a non-contact spatially resolved imaging technique. The metamaterial is made up of sub-wavelength nonlinear microwave oscillators in a strongly coupled 27 × 27 planar array of radio-frequency Superconducting QUantum Interference Devices (rf-SQUIDs). By using low-temperature laser scanning microscopy, we image microwave currents in the driven SQUIDs while in non-radiating dark modes and identify the clustering and uniformity of like-oscillating meta-atoms. We follow the rearrangement of coherent patterns due to meta-atom resonant frequency tuning as a function of external dc and rf magnetic flux bias. We find that the rf current distribution across the SQUID array at zero dc flux and small rf flux reveals a low degree of coherence. By contrast, the spatial coherence improves dramatically upon increasing the rf flux amplitude, in agreement with simulation.

Hot spot formation in a curved iron-based superconducting whisker

We investigated the transport properties of a curved iron-based superconducting whisker, a geometry which is considered to be interesting for electronic applications. The current–voltage characteristics (IVCs) are bi-stable at low temperatures, exhibit multiple branches at intermediate temperatures and are continuous but nonlinear at temperatures close to the superconducting transition temperature Tc. Low temperature scanning laser microscopy revealed that the multiple branches arise from a localized hot spot which for the different branches appears at different positions along the whisker. By contrast, at low temperatures Joule heating completely overheats the sample to temperatures above Tc in the resistive state. Close to Tc, the hot spot disappears and the IVCs are continuous. In the multiple-branch region, the whisker can be switched between different states by laser irradiation, provided that the laser is positioned at the location of the hot spot. The effect could be interesting for using the whisker as a photon detector or as a position-sensitive opto-electronic switch.

A study of thermal effects in superconducting terahertz modulator by low temperature scanning laser microscope

We use low temperature scanning laser microscope (LTSLM) to study the Joule power distribution of superconducting (SC) terahertz (THz) modulator. The LTSLM scanning images record the SC state transformation process under different DC bias voltages. The change of THz transmission spectra can be well explained by the thermal effect in the devices observed by LTSLM. Hotspots are present in one THz modulator and the transmission spectra changes a lot after the hotspots show up. According to theoretical analysis, the appearance of hotspot may be helpful for improving the modulation speed. These results will be useful to understand the mechanism of SC THz modulator and design higher performance THz moduators.

Spatial characterization of the edge barrier in wide superconducting films

The current-induced destruction of superconductivity is discussed in wide superconducting thin films, whose width is greater than the magnetic field penetration depth, in weak magnetic fields. Particular attention is paid to the role of the boundary potential barrier (the Bin-Livingston barrier) in critical state formation and detection of the edge responsible for this critical state with different mutual orientations of external perpendicular magnetic field and transport current. Critical and resistive states of the film were visualized using the space-resolving low-temperature laser scanning microscopy (LTLSM) method, which enables detection of critical current-determining areas on the film edges. Based on these observations, a simple technique was developed for investigation of the critical state separately at each film edge, and for the estimation of residual magnetic fields in cryostats. The proposed method only requires recording of the current-voltage characteristics of the film in a weak magnetic field, thus circumventing the need for complex LTLSM techniques. Information thus obtained is particularly important for interpretation of studies of superconducting film single-photon light emission detectors.

Analysis of the local superconducting properties in YBCO coated conductors with striations

In order to realize economical applications, it is important to reduce the ac loss of 2G high-temperature superconductor coated conductors. It seems to be reasonable that a multi-filamentary wire can decrease the magnetization loss. In this study, we prepared two samples of YBCO coated conductors with striations. We measured local superconducting properties of both samples by using Low Temperature Scanning Laser and Hall Probe Microscopy (LTSLHPM). The distribution of the local critical temperature of samples was analyzed from experimental results of Low Temperature Scanning Laser Microscopy (LTSLM) near the superconducting transition temperature. According to LTSLM results, spatial distributions of the local critical temperature of both samples are homogeneous. The local current density and the local magnetization in samples were explored from measuring stray fields by using Scanning Hall Probe Microscopy (SHPM). From SHPM results, the remanent field pattern of the one bridge sample in an external magnetic field confirms the Bean's critical state model and the three bridge sample has similar remanent field pattern of the one bridge sample. The local magnetization curve in the three bridge sample was measured from external fields from -500 Oe to 500 Oe. We visualized that the distribution of local hysteresis loss are related in the distribution of the remanent field of the three bridge sample. Although the field dependence of the critical current density must be taken into account, the relation of the local hysteresis loss and the remanent field from Bean's model was useful.

Electrothermal behavior and terahertz emission properties of a planar array of two Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ intrinsic Josephson junction stacks

We report on the investigation of the electrothermal behavior and the terahertz (THz) emission properties of two nearby Bi2Sr2CaCu2O (BSCCO) intrinsic Josephson junction stacks, using a combination of electric transport and THz emission measurements plus low temperature scanning laser microscopy. We start with a compact BSCCO stack (placed in a z-shaped structure between two BSCCO electrodes) with lateral dimensions of and height, consisting of about 480 junctions. After characterization, a 200 nm wide slit was introduced by focused ion beam milling, splitting the stack into two halves connected by continuous superconducting electrodes. In a third step, the upper electrode was also split, leading to a structure where the two stacks can be biased separately. In all configurations hot-spot formation was observed. Despite the separation into two stacks only a single hot spot formed, which, depending on the bias condition, could either be located in one of the stacks or extend into both stacks with its center in the slit. In none of the structures it was possible to achieve mutual synchronization of the two stacks, indicating that additional synchronizing elements or the presence of a base crystal as for mesa structures may be necessary for the operation of parallel array structures.

Study of grain boundary transparency in(Yb1−xCax)Ba2Cu3Obicrystal thin films over a wide temperature, field, and field orientation range

The residual low angle grain boundary (GB) network is still the most important current-limiting mechanism operating in bi-axially textured rare earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) coated conductors. While Ca-doping is well established to improve super-current flow across low angle GBs in weak fields at high temperatures, Ca-doping also depresses Tc, making it so far impractical for high temperature applications of REBCO coated conductors. On the other hand, high field magnet applications of REBCO require low temperatures. Here we systematically evaluate the effectiveness of Ca-doping in improving the GB transparency, r$^{GB}$= Jc$^{GB}$/Jc$^{grain}$ , of low angle Yb1-xCaxBaCuO [001] tilt bi-crystal films down to 10K and with magnetic fields perpendicular and parallel to the film surfaces, while varying the Ca and oxygen doping level. Using Low Temperature Scanning Laser Microscopy (LTSLM) and Magneto-Optical Imaging (MOI), we found rGB to strongly depend on the angle between magnetic field and the GB plane and clearly identified regimes in which Jc$^{GB}$ can exceed Jc$^{grain}$ (r$^{GB}$>1) where the GB pinning is optimized by the field being parallel to the GB dislocations. However, even in this favorable situation, we found that r$^{GB}$ became much smaller at lower temperatures. Calculations of the GB Ca segregation profile predict that the high Jc channels between the GB dislocation cores are almost Ca-free. It may be therefore that the positive effects of Ca doping seen by many authors near Tc are partly a consequence of the higher Tc of these Ca-free channels.

Electrodynamics of a ring-shaped spiral resonator

We present analytical, numerical, and experimental investigations of electromagnetic resonant modes of a compact monofilar Archimedean spiral resonator shaped in a ring, with no central part. Planar spiral resonators are interesting as components of metamaterials for their compact deep-subwavelength size. Such resonators couple primarily to the magnetic field component of the incident electromagnetic wave, offering properties suitable for magnetic meta-atoms. Surprisingly, the relative frequencies of the resonant modes follow the sequence of the odd numbers as f1:f2:f3:f4… = 1:3:5:7…, despite the nearly identical boundary conditions for electromagnetic fields at the extremities of the resonator. In order to explain the observed spectrum of resonant modes, we show that the current distribution inside the spiral satisfies a particular Carleman type singular integral equation. By solving this equation, we obtain a set of resonant frequencies. The analytically calculated resonance frequencies and the current distributions are in good agreement with experimental data and the results of numerical simulations. By using low-temperature laser scanning microscopy of a superconducting spiral resonator, we compare the experimentally visualized ac current distributions over the spiral with the calculated ones. Theory and experiment agree well with each other. Our analytical model allows for calculation of a detailed three-dimensional magnetic field structure of the resonators.

高温超電導テープ線材の局所<i>J</i><sub>c </sub>分布評価技術

The high spatial homogeneity of critical current density, Jc, in HTS tape is one of the most important requirements to realize practical superconducting tapes. However, it is hardly possible to detect local Jc distribution using conventional characterization techniques because the length scale of such Jc variation is several orders smaller than that of the conventional techniques. We have succeeded in developing novel techniques such as low-temperature laser scanning microscopy and reel-toreel Hall probe scanning microscopy for spatially resolved measurements of local Jc in HTS tapes of multiple lengths and operating conditions. In this paper, I summarize these techniques together with other useful methods including magneto-optical imaging and the Hall sensor array technique.

Edge superconductivity in Nb thin film microbridges revealed by electric transport measurements and visualized by scanning laser microscopy

The resistance R versus perpendicular external magnetic field H was measured for superconducting Nb thin film microbridges with and without microholes (antidots, ADs). Well below the transition temperature, integral R(H) measurements of the resistive transition to the normal state on the plain bridge show two distinct regions, which can be identified as bulk and edge superconductivity, respectively. The latter case appears when bulk superconductivity becomes suppressed at the upper critical field Hc2 and below the critical field of edge superconductivity Hc3 ≈ 1.7 Hc2. The presence of additional edges in the AD bridge leads to a different shape of the R(H) curves. We used low-temperature scanning laser microscopy (LTSLM) to visualize the current distribution in the plain and AD bridges upon sweeping H. While the plain bridge shows a dominant LTSLM signal at its edges for H > Hc2 the AD bridge also gives a signal from the inner parts of the bridge due to the additional edge states around the ADs. LTSLM reveals an asymmetry in the current distribution between the left and right edges, which confirms theoretical predictions. Furthermore, the experimental results are in good agreement with our numerical simulations (based on the time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau model), yielding the spatial distribution of the order parameter and current density for different bias currents and H values.

Imaging of the Surface Resistance of an SRF Cavity by Low-Temperature Laser Scanning Microscopy

Temperature mapping of the outer surface of a superconducting radio-frequency cavity is a technique that is often used to identify lossy areas on the cavity surface. In this contribution, we present 2-D images of the superconducting state surface resistance Rs of the inner surface of a superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavity obtained by low-temperature laser scanning microscopy. This technique, which is applied for the first time to study lossy regions in an operating SRF cavity, allows identifying “hotspots” with about one order of magnitude better spatial resolution (~ 2 mm) than by thermometry. The Rs-resolution is of the order of 1 μΩ at 3.3 GHz. Surface resistance maps with different laser power and optical images of the cavity surface are discussed in this contribution. It is also shown that the thermal gradient on the niobium surface created by the laser beam can move some of the hotspots, which are identified as locations of trapped bundle of fluxoids. The prospects for this microscope to identify defects that limit the performance of SRF cavities will also be discussed.

Analysis of the local current in GdBCO coated conductors using low-temperature scanning laser and Hall probe microscopy

The distribution of the local current in GdBCO coated conductors was investigated using low-temperature scanning laser and Hall probe microscopy (LTSLHPM). We prepared GdBCO coated conductors to study the spatial distribution of the current density in a single bridge. Inhomogeneity in the bridge was analyzed using the experimental results of scanning laser microscopy near the superconducting transition. The local transport and screening currents in the bridge were also obtained by scanning Hall probe microscopy. From the experimental results of scanning laser and Hall probe microscopy, we have observed redistribution of the current caused by defects of the coated conductors.

Low temperature laser scanning microscopy of a superconducting radio-frequency cavity

An apparatus was developed to obtain, for the first time, 2D maps of the surface resistance of the inner surface of an operating superconducting radio-frequency niobium cavity by a low-temperature laser scanning microscopy technique. This allows identifying non-uniformities of the surface resistance with a spatial resolution of about 2.4 mm and surface resistance resolution of ~1 μΩ at 3.3 GHz. A signal-to-noise ratio of about 10 dB was obtained with 240 mW laser power and 1 Hz modulation frequency. The various components of the apparatus, the experimental procedure and results are discussed in detail in this contribution.

Observation of important current-limiting defects in a recent high pinning force MOCVD IBAD-MgO coated conductor

Optimization of vortex pinning in REBCO coated conductors has been very successful in recent years, but here we report that strong current-limiting effects can still be present in even highly optimized samples. We studied a state-of-the-art MOCVD IBAD-MgO coated conductor, finding it to have a global pinning force Fpmax(77 K, H ∥ c axis) that reached 11 GN m−3. Using low temperature laser scanning microscopy (LTLSM), we found that the local electric field in the flux-flow state was very inhomogeneous and dominated by a high density of a-axis grains, which obstruct current flow on dimensions of several µm. By carefully cutting narrow tracks without such grains in the path, Fpmax rose to 17 GN m−3, a value exceeding all but a very few, carefully made research films. That today’s coated conductors can develop exceptional vortex pinning properties, while still losing a significant fraction of the current density to blocking by growth defects, emphasizes that coated conductor development requires simultaneous attention both to enhancement of vortex pinning and to minimization of current-blocking defects.

Local tunneling magnetoresistance probed by low-temperature scanning laser microscopy

Tunneling magnetoresistance in a vertical manganite junction was investigated by low-temperature scanning laser microscopy (LTSLM) allowing to determine the local relative magnetization M orientation of the two electrodes as a function of magnitude and orientation of the external magnetic field H. Sweeping the field amplitude at fixed orientation revealed magnetic domain nucleation and propagation in the junction electrodes. For the high-resistance state, an almost single-domain antiparallel magnetization configuration was achieved, while in the low-resistance state the junction remained in a multidomain state. Calculated resistance Rcalc(H) based on the local M configuration obtained by LTSLM is in quantitative agreement with R(H) measured by magnetotransport.

Crossover between different regimes of inhomogeneous superconductivity in planar superconductor-ferromagnet hybrids

We studied experimentally the effect of a stripe-like domain structure in a ferromagnetic BaFe_{12}O_{19} substrate on the magnetoresistance of a superconducting Pb microbridge. The system was designed in such a way that the bridge is oriented perpendicular to the domain walls. It is demonstrated that depending on the ratio between the amplitude of the nonuniform magnetic field B_0, induced by the ferromagnet, and the upper critical field H_{c2} of the superconducting material, the regions of the reverse-domain superconductivity in the H-T plane can be isolated or can overlap (H is the external magnetic field, T is temperature). The latter case corresponds to the condition B_0/H_{c2}<1 and results in the formation of superconductivity above the magnetic domains of both polarities. We discovered the regime of edge-assisted reverse-domain superconductivity, corresponding to localized superconductivity near the edges of the bridge above the compensated magnetic domains. Direct verification of the formation of inhomogeneous superconducting states and external-field-controlled switching between normal state and inhomogeneous superconductivity were obtained by low-temperature scanning laser microscopy.

Domain-wall and reverse-domain superconducting states of a Pb thin-film bridge on a ferromagnetic BaFe12O19single crystal

We report on imaging of the nonuniform superconducting states in a Pb thin film bridge on top of a ferromagnetic BaFe_{12}O_{19} single crystal with a single straight domain wall along the center of the bridge by low-temperature scanning laser microscopy. We have visualized domain wall superconductivity (DWS) close to the critical temperature of Pb, when the Pb film above the domain wall acts as a superconducting path for the current. The evolution of the DWS signal with temperature and the external-field-driven transition from DWS to reverse domain superconductivity was visualized.