Deviations from mean-field behavior in disordered nanoscale superconductor-normal-metal-superconductor arrays

Abstract

We have fabricated quasi-two-dimensional arrays of nano-scale Pb grains coupled by an overlayer of Ag grains. Their temperature dependent resistive transitions follow predictions for an array of mesoscopic superconductor-normal-superconductor junctions. The decrease of their transition temperatures with Ag overlayer thickness systematically deviates from the Cooper limit theory of the proximity effect as the Pb grain size decreases. The deviations occur when the estimated number of Cooper pairs per grain is less than or equal to 1 and suggest the approach to a superconductor to metal transition.

11 pages, Pdf only, Revisions include text and figure 3

References in corpus (3)

• Spectroscopy of discrete energy levels in ultrasmall metallic grains
• Density of States below the Thouless Gap in a Mesoscopic SNS Junction
• Gap Fluctuations in Inhomogeneous Superconductors

Cited by in corpus (9)

• Odd Triplet Superconductivity and Related Phenomena in Superconductor-Ferromagnet Structures
• Approaching Zero-Temperature Metallic States in Mesoscopic Superconductor-Normal-Superconductor Arrays
• Proximity effect in granular superconductor-normal metal structures
• Observation of a subgap density of states in superconductor-normal metal bilayers in the Cooper limit
• "Super weakly" coupled superconductivity in ultrathin superconductor-normal-metal bilayers
• Early stage morphology of quench condensed Ag, Pb and Pb/Ag hybrid films
• Quantitative Simulation of the Superconducting Proximity Effect
• Severe discrepancies between experiment and theory in the superconducting proximity effect
• Spin-Polarized Tunneling in Critically Disordered Be-Al Bilayers