Abstract
We analyze the transport properties of contacts between unconventional superconductor and normal diffusive metal in the framework of the extended circuit theory. We obtain a general boundary condition for the Keldysh-Nambu Green’s functions at the interface that is valid for arbitrary transparencies of the interface. This allows us to investigate the voltage-dependent conductance (conductance spectrum) of a diffusive normal metal (DN)/ unconventional singlet superconductor junction in both ballistic and diffusive cases. For d-wave superconductors, we calculate conductance spectra numerically for different orientations of the junctions, resistances, Thouless energies in DN, and transparencies of the interface. We demonstrate that conductance spectra exhibit a variety of features including a V-shaped gaplike structure, zero bias conductance peak (ZBCP) and zero bias conductance dip. We show that two distinct mechanisms: (i) coherent Andreev reflection (CAR) in DN and (ii) formation of midgap Andreev bound state at the interface of d-wave superconductors, are responsible for ZBCP, their relative importance being dependent on the angle between the interface normal and the crystal axis of d-wave superconductors. For the ZBCP is due to CAR in the junctions of low transparency with small Thouless energies. This is similar to the case of diffusive normal metal/insulator/s-wave superconductor junctions. With increase of from zero to the MABS contribution to ZBCP becomes more prominent and the effect of CAR is gradually suppressed. Such complex spectral features shall be observable in conductance spectra of realistic high- junctions at very low temperature.
- Received 22 November 2003
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.69.144519
©2004 American Physical Society