Kondo-like behavior near the metal-to-insulator transition of nano-scale granular aluminum

Abstract

We show that the normal state transport properties of nano-scale granular Aluminum films, near the metal to insulator transition, present striking similarities with those of Kondo systems. Those include a negative magneto-resistance, a minimum of resistance R at a temperature Tm in metallic films, a logarithmic rise at low temperatures and a negative curvature of R(T) at high temperatures. These normal state properties are interpreted in terms of spin-flip scattering of conduction electrons by local magnetic moments, possibly located at the metal/oxide interfaces. Their co-existence with the enhanced superconductivity seen in these films is discussed.

6 pages, 6 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett

References in corpus (3)

• Magnetism in SQUIDs at Millikelvin Temperatures
• Microscopic origin of low frequency flux noise in Josephson circuits
• Unconventional Superconductivity from Local Spin Fluctuations in the Kondo Lattice

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