Effect of hexagonal patterned arrays and defect geometry on the critical current of superconducting films

Abstract

Understanding the effect of pinning on the vortex dynamics in superconductors is a key factor towards controlling critical current values. Large-scale simulations of vortex dynamics can provide a rational approach to achieve this goal. Here, we use the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations to study thin superconducting films with artificially created pinning centers arranged periodically in hexagonal lattices. We calculate the critical current density for various geometries of the pinning centers --- varying their size, strength, and density. Furthermore, we shed light upon the influence of pattern distortion on the magnetic-field-dependent critical current. We compare our result directly with available experimental measurements on patterned molybdenum-germanium films, obtaining good agreement. Our results give important systematic insights into the mechanisms of pinning in these artificial pinning landscapes and open a path for tailoring superconducting films with desired critical current behavior.

10 pages, 8 figures

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• Strong-pinning regimes by spherical inclusions in anisotropic type-II superconductors
• Targeted evolution of pinning landscapes for large superconducting critical currents
• The quest for high critical current in applied high-temperature superconductors
• In silico optimization of critical currents in superconductors
• Brownian dynamics study of driven partially pinned solid in the presence of square array of pinning centers: Enhanced pinning close to the melting transition