Proximity effect and electron transport in oxide hybrid heterostructures with superconducting/magnetic interfaces

Journal article, 2011

We report on electron transport in oxide heterostructures with superconducting/magnetic (S/M) thin film interfaces. The investigated hybrid mesa-heterostructures consist of a cuprate superconductor, a nonsuperconducting cuprate (antiferromagnetic) or manganite (ferromagnetic) interlayer with thickness d(M) = 5-50 nm and a conventional superconductor (Nb). The superconducting critical current (I-C) with a critical current density j(c) = 10(3) A cm(-2) (for d(M) = 10 nm) and a characteristic voltage ICRN = 100-200 mu V (RN is normal resistance) are observed at liquid helium temperature for a CaXSr1-XCuO2 antiferromagnetic cuprate interlayer with a thickness of d(M) = 10-50 nm. The superconducting current-phase relation of heterostructures deviates from the regular sine type, demonstrating a second harmonic component. These hybrid heterostructures with S/M interfaces show unusually high sensitivity to external magnetic fields. When substituting the cuprate interlayer by a manganite film, no critical current was observed although the manganite interlayer was made several times thinner (down to d(M) <= 5 nm).