Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: Superconductor-ferromagnet (S-F) hybrids based on half-metallic ferromagnets, such as CrO 2 , are ideal candidates for superconducting spintronic applications.This is primarily due to the fully spin-polarized nature of CrO 2 , which produces enhanced long-range triplet proximity effects.However, reliable production of CrO 2 -based Josephson junctions (JJs) has proved to be extremely challenging because of a poorly controlled interface transparency and an incomplete knowledge of the local magnetization of the CrO 2 films.To address these issues, we use a bottom-up approach to grow CrO 2 nanowires on prepatterned substrates via chemical-vapor deposition.A comprehensive study of the growth mechanism enables us to reliably synthesize faceted, homogeneous CrO 2 wires with a well-defined magnetization state.Combining these high-quality wires with a superconductor produces JJs with a high interface transparency, leading to exceptionally large 100% spin-polarized supercurrents, with critical current densities exceeding 10 9 Am -2 over distances as long as 600 nm.These CrO 2 -nanowire-based JJs thus provide a realistic route to creating a scalable device platform for dissipation-less spintronics.
Source: Physical Review X
Authors: Amrita Singh, Charlotte Jansen, Kaveh Lahabi, Jan Aarts
Institution: Leiden University
Language: Latvian
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,200
Award: G1515535918
OpenAlex ID: W2535800370