Robust superconductivity in quantum-confined Pb: Equilibrium and irreversible superconductive properties

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Mustafa M. Özer,¹ James R. Thompson,^1,2 and Hanno H. Weitering^1,2
¹Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
²Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA

Received 29 June 2006; revised 12 October 2006; published 15 December 2006

Strongquantum size effects enable the formation of crystalline Pb filmsthat are atomically flat on a macroscopic length scale. Thesuperconducting properties of 5–18–monolayer-(ML) thick Pb films were investigated ina superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer using combined acand dc methods. Even the thinnest films (5 ML) areextraordinarily robust type-II superconductors. Despite the extreme two-dimensional geometry, thethermodynamic parameters T_c and upper critical field H_c2 are primarilycontrolled by the physical boundary conditions of the film andshow no evidence for disorder-driven or fluctuation-driven quenching of superconductivity.A magnetically hard critical state is established as a consequenceof vortex trapping by quantum growth defects.

URL:	http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevB.74.235427
DOI:	10.1103/PhysRevB.74.235427
PACS:	74.78.-w; 68.55.Jk; 74.25.Qt 74.78.-w Superconducting films and low-dimensional structures 68.55.Jk Thin film structure and morphology; thickness; crystalline orientation and texture 74.25.Qt Vortex lattices, flux pinning, flux creep in superconductors YEAR: 2006
KEYWORDS:	lead, superconducting thin films, size effect, thermodynamics, superconducting critical field, flux-line lattice

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