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Anodic aluminum oxide templates containing extended arrays of holes with ∼30-nm diameter and approximately 128-nm spacing were sputter-coated with Nb. We find pronounced matching effects in the transport and magnetization measurements beyond 4 kOe. In addition, we observe Little–Parks oscillations of the superconducting critical temperature. We compare the flux pinning in the patterned samples to unpatterned reference samples and find a significant enhancement of the critical current. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A conformal pinning array can be created by conformally transforming a uniform triangular pinning lattice to produce a new structure in which the six-fold ordering of the original lattice is conserved but where there is a spatial gradient in the density of pinning sites. Here we examine several aspects of vortices interacting with conformal pinning arrays and how they can be used to create a flux flow diode effect for driving vortices in different directions across the arrays. Under the application of an ac drive, a pronounced vortex ratchet effect occurs where the vortices flow in the easy direction of the array asymmetry. When the ac drive is applied perpendicular to the asymmetry direction of the array, it is possible to realize a transverse vortex ratchet effect where there is a generation of a dc flow of vortices perpendicular to the ac drive due to the creation of a noise correlation ratchet by the plastic motion of the vortices. We also examine vortex transport in experiments and compare the pinning effectiveness of conformal arrays to uniform triangular pinning arrays. We find that a triangular array generally pins the vortices more effectively at the first matching field and below, while the conformal array is more effective at higher fields where interstitial vortex flow occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a study of the upper critical field and pinning strength measured by the resistivity and magnetization of a Nb film containing a dense array of 45 nm diameter holes on a hexagonal lattice with a spacing of 101 nm. The holes were formed by self-assembly in anodic aluminum oxide using an electrochemical procedure. Confinement effects and Little–Parks oscillations are seen above 6 K, and strong pinning with matching field effects is seen below 6 K. Above the first matching field interstitial vortices coexist with vortices trapped in the hole array. Pinning in the Nb films with dense hole arrays is enhanced by two orders of magnitude over that in continuous Nb films. At low temperature, flux avalanches are observed and imaged using the magneto-optical Faraday effect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]