Sequential superconductor-Bose insulator-Fermi insulator phase transitions in two-dimensional a-WSi

Abstract

A zero-temperature magnetic-field-driven superconductor to insulator transition (SIT) in quasi-two-dimensional superconductors is expected to occur when the applied magnetic-field crosses a certain critical value. A fundamental question is whether this transition is due to the localization of Cooper pairs or due to the destruction of them. Here we address this question by studying the SIT in amorphous WSi. Transport measurements reveal the localization of Cooper pairs at a quantum critical field B_c^1 (Bose-insulator), with a product of the correlation length and dynamical exponents zv~4/3 near the quantum critical point (QCP). Beyond B_c^1, superconducting fluctuations still persist at finite temperatures. Above a second critical field B_c^2>B_c^1, the Cooper pairs are destroyed and the film becomes a Fermi-insulator. The different phases all merge at a tricritical point at finite temperatures with zv=2/3. Our results suggest a sequential superconductor to Bose insulator to Fermi insulator phase transition, which differs from the conventional scenario involving a single quantum critical point.

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Cited by in corpus (4)

• Upper critical field and superconductor-metal transition in ultrathin niobium films
• Size dependent nature of the magnetic-field driven superconductor-to-insulator quantum-phase transitions
• Strong suppression of the resistivity near the transition to superconductivity in narrow micro-bridges in external magnetic fields
• Deficiency of the scaling collapse as an indicator of a superconductor-insulator quantum phase transition