1. InAs nanowire superconducting tunnel junctions: Quasiparticle spectroscopy, thermometry, and nanorefrigeration
- Author
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Ilari Maasilta, Stefano Roddaro, Jaakko Mastomäki, Antonio Fornieri, Valentina Zannier, Francesco Giazotto, Lucia Sorba, Elia Strambini, Daniele Ercolani, Nadia Ligato, Mirko Rocci, Mastomäki, Jaakko, Roddaro, Stefano, Rocci, Mirko, Zannier, Valentina, Ercolani, Daniele, Sorba, Lucia, Maasilta, Ilari J., Ligato, Nadia, Fornieri, Antonio, Strambini, Elia, and Giazotto, Francesco
- Subjects
Materials science ,thermometry ,Orders of magnitude (temperature) ,Nanowire ,02 engineering and technology ,7. Clean energy ,01 natural sciences ,Settore FIS/03 - Fisica della Materia ,0103 physical sciences ,Thermoelectric effect ,General Materials Science ,Electrical and Electronic Engineering ,010306 general physics ,Superconductivity ,superconducting tunnel junction ,business.industry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Condensed Matter Physics ,InAs nanowire ,Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics ,nanorefrigeration ,Semiconductor ,Active cooling ,Quasiparticle ,Superconducting tunnel junction ,Optoelectronics ,0210 nano-technology ,business - Abstract
We demonstrate an original method based on controlled oxidation for creating high-quality tunnel junctions between superconducting Al reservoirs and InAs semiconductor nanowires (NWs). We show clean tunnel characteristics with a current suppression by >4 orders of magnitude for a junction bias well below the Al gap of ?0 ? 200 ?eV. The experimental data agree well with the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theoretical expectations for a superconducting tunnel junction. The studied devices employ small-scale tunnel contacts functioning as thermometers as well as larger electrodes that provide proof-of-principle active cooling of the electron distribution in the NWs. A peak refrigeration of approximately ?T = 10 mK is achieved at a bath temperature of Tbath ? 250-350 mK for our prototype devices. This method introduces important perspectives for the investigation of the thermoelectric effects in semiconductor nanostructures and for nanoscale refrigeration. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2017 Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany
- Published
- 2017
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