0000000000794310
AUTHOR
T. I. Suppula
Integrated SINIS refrigerators for efficient cooling of cryogenic detectors
In this paper we report recent results obtained with large area superconductor-insulator-normal metal-insulator-superconductor tunnel junction coolers. With the devices we have successfully demonstrated electronic cooling from 260 mK to 80 mK with a cooling power of 20 pW at 80 mK. At present, we are focusing on obtaining similar performance in cooling cryogenic detectors. Additionally, we present recent results of successful operation of a metalsemiconductor structure with a Schottky barrier acting as the tunnel barrier and the possibility to use this kind of structures for on-chip cooling.
Trapping of quasiparticles of a nonequilibrium superconductor
We have performed experiments where hot electrons are extracted from a normal metal into a superconductor through a tunnel junction. We have measured the cooling performance of such NIS junctions, especially in the cases where another normal metal electrode, a quasiparticle trap, is attached to the superconductor at different distances from the junction in direct metal-to-metal contact or through an oxide barrier. The direct contact at a submicron distance allows superior thermalization of the superconductor. We have analyzed theoretically the heat transport in this system. From both experiment and theory, it appears that NIS junctions can be used as refrigerators at low temperatures only w…
Microrefrigeration by quasiparticle tunnelling in NIS and SIS junctions
Abstract A solid-state refrigeration method at sub-kelvin temperatures has been developed. It is based on quasiparticle tunnelling between a superconductor and a normal metal, or, between two dissimilar superconducting metals. The refrigerator is fabricated by combining nanolithography and micromachining methods. This technique has been demonstrated in both electron cooling from 0.3 to 0.1 K and in refrigeration of a dielectric platform. We describe a new fabrication method of tunnel junctions in a shadow evaporation configuration using a mechanical mask of silicon nitride.
Influence of magnetic field on cooling by normal-insulator–superconductor junctions
Cooling by normal-insulator–superconductor junctions in external magnetic field has been studied experimentally. For all orientations of magnetic field the cooling performance correlates with the magnetic field dependent superconducting energy gap Δ(H). In perpendicular orientation of magnetic field with respect to the sample plane, additional degradation of the cooling power originates from scattering of nonequilibrium quasiparticles in the superconductor on magnetic vortices. The effect is hysteretic and its magnitude depends on the shape of the superconducting probes.
Superconductivity suppression in Fe-implanted thin Al films
At present, ion implantation into metallic systems is given increasing attention, aiming at achieving properties and functionalities of technologically valuable materials not easily available via conventional techniques. In our experiments thin Al films were implanted with Fe ions in order to find out how the superconductive properties of the metal can be modified at will. The purpose was twofold, viz., first, to study the basic physics of superconductivity in low-dimensional metallic structures doped with impurities. The second purpose was to apply ion implantation for the suppression of undesired superconductivity in aluminum widely used for fabrication of micro- and nanodevices operated …