Proximity effect in electron-doped cuprate Josephson junctions.

We study the proximity effect in Josephson junctions made of electron-doped cuprates Pr2-xCexCuO4 (PCCO). With superconducting electrodes at a fixed doping x = 0.15, we explore the variation of the Josephson coupling with the doping and the thickness of the barrier. We observe Josephson coupling for any type of barrier: antiferromagnetic (AF) metal, AF insulator, or paramagnetic metal. For an x = 0.05 barrier, we can estimate the normal coherence length, ξn = 12 ± 3 nm. Comparing this value with the theoretical prediction, ξn,max = 4.5 nm, we conclude that the proximity effect through a barrier of PCCO x = 0.05 is stronger than expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]