Robustness of the 0π transition against compositional and structural ageing in superconductor/ferromagnetic/superconductor heterostructures

R. Loria, C. Meneghini, K. Torokhtii, L. Tortora, N. Pompeo, C. Cirillo, C. Attanasio, and E. Silva
Phys. Rev. B 92, 184106 – Published 19 November 2015

Abstract

We have studied the temperature induced 0π thermodynamic transition in Nb/PdNi/Nb superconductor/ferromagnetic/superconductor (SFS) heterostructures by microwave measurements of the superfluid density. We have observed a shift in the transition temperature with the ageing of the heterostructures, suggesting that structural and/or chemical changes took place. Motivated by the electrodynamics findings, we have extensively studied the local structural properties of the samples by means of x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) technique, and the compositional profile by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF–SIMS). We found that the samples have indeed changed their properties, in particular for what concerns the interfaces and the composition of the ferromagnetic alloy layer. The structural and compositional data are consistent with the shift of the 0π transition toward the behavior of heterostructures with different F layers. An important emerging indication to the physics of SFS is the weak relevance of the ideality of the interfaces: even in aged samples, with less-than-ideal interfaces, the temperature-induced 0π transition is still detectable albeit at a different critical F thickness.

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  • Received 17 August 2015
  • Revised 23 October 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.92.184106

©2015 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

R. Loria1, C. Meneghini1, K. Torokhtii2, L. Tortora3, N. Pompeo2, C. Cirillo4, C. Attanasio4, and E. Silva2,*

  • 1Dipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma, Italy
  • 2Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Università Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma, Italy
  • 3INFN and Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma, Italy
  • 4CNR-SPIN Salerno and Dipartimento di Fisica “E. R. Caianiello”, Università degli Studi di Salerno, via Giovanni Paolo II 132, I-84084, Fisciano (SA), Italy

  • *enrico.silva@uniroma3.it

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Vol. 92, Iss. 18 — 1 November 2015

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