Photocathode Quantum Efficiency of Ultra-Thin Cs2Te Layers On Nb Substrates

The quantum efficiencies (QE) of photocathodes consisting of bulk Nb substrates coated with thin films of Cs2Te are reported. Using the standard recipe for Cs2Te deposition developed for Mo substrates (220 {\AA} Te thickness), a QE ~11% - 13% at light wavelength of 248 nm is achieved for the Nb substrates, consistent with that found on Mo. Systematic reduction of the Te thickness for both Mo and Nb substrates reveals a surprisingly high residual QE ~ 6% for a Te layer as thin as 15 {\AA}. A phenomenological model based on the Spicer 3-Step model along with a solution of the Fresnel equations for reflectance, R, leads to a reasonable fit of the thickness dependence of QE and suggests that layers thinner than 15 {\AA} may still have a relatively high QE. Preliminary investigation suggests an increased operational lifetime as well. Such an ultra-thin, semiconducting Cs2Te layer may be expected to produce minimal ohmic losses for RF frequencies ~ 1 GHz. The result thus opens the door to the potential development of a Nb (or Nb3Sn) superconducting photocathode with relatively high QE and minimal RF impedance to be used in a superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) photoinjector.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Large Energy Gaps in CaC₆ from Tunneling Spectroscopy: Possible Evidence of Strong-Coupling Superconductivity

Tunneling in CaC6 crystals reproducibly reveals superconducting gaps Δ of 2.3±0.2 meV that are ~40% larger than reported earlier. In an isotropic s -wave scenario, that puts CaC6 into the class of very strongly coupled superconductors, since 2Δ k Tc ~4.6, implying that soft Ca phonons are primarily involved in the superconductivity. This conclusion explains the relatively large Ca isotope effect found recently for CaC6, but it could also signal a strong anisotropy in the electron-phonon interaction

Modeling Study of the Dip-Hump Feature in Bi₂ Sr₂ CaCu₂ O\u3csub\u3e8+δ\u3c/sub\u3e Tunneling Spectroscopy

The tunneling spectra of high-temperature superconductors on Bi2 Sr2 CaCu2 O8+δ (Bi-2212) reproducibly show a high-bias structure in the form of a dip-hump at voltages higher than the gap voltage. Of central concern is whether this feature originates from the normal state background or is intrinsic to the superconducting mechanism. We address this issue by generating a set of model conductance curves-a normal state conductance that takes into account effects such as the band structure and a possible pseudogap, and a pure superconducting state conductance. When combined, the result shows that the dip-hump feature present in the experimental conductance curves cannot be naively attributed to a normal state effect. In particular, strong dip features found in superconductor-insulator-superconductor data on optimally doped Bi-2212, including negative dI /dV, cannot be a consequence of an extrinsic pseudogap. However, such features can easily arise from state-conserving deviations in the superconducting density of states, e.g., from strong-coupling effects

Evidence of Strong-Coupled Superconductivity in CaC6 from Tunneling Spectroscopy

Point-contact tunneling on CaC$_6$ crystals reproducibly reveals superconducting gaps, $\Delta$, of 2.3$\pm$0.2 meV which are $\sim$~40% larger than earlier reports. That puts CaC$_6$ into the class of very strong-coupled superconductors since 2$\Delta$/kT$_c\sim$~4.6. Thus soft Ca phonons will be primarily involved in the superconductivity, a conclusion that explains the large Ca isotope effect found recently for CaC$_6$. Consistency among superconductor-insulator-normal metal (SIN), SIS and Andreev reflection (SN) junctions reinforces the intrinsic nature of this result.Comment: 2nd version, 4 pages, 4 figures, re-submitted to Physical Review Letter

Self-heating effect in intrinsic tunneling spectroscopy of HgBr2 intercalated Bi2.1Sr1.4Ca1.5Cu 2O8+δ single crystals

We report tunneling results in intrinsic Josephson junction (IJJ) stacks fabricated in the form of square micromesas on HgBr2 intercalated Bi2.1Sr1.4Ca1.5Cu2O 8+δ (Bi2212) single crystals using photolithography and Ar ion milling techniques. Self-heating is the most common problem encountered in interlayer tunneling and it is likely to reduce the reliability of IJJ data. Although intercalation reduces heating a hundredfold, it still needs to be minimized substantially in order to approach the authentic superconducting energy gap observed by tunneling using more conventional junctions. We report tunneling characteristics of two mesas with the same height but different sizes (5 × 5 μm2 and 10 × 10 μm2) to show that heating effects are strongly related to IJJ stack size. For the smaller mesa, we observed an energy gap close to that seen in single SIN (S: superconductor, I: insulator, N: normal metal) and SIS break junctions as well as the dip and hump structures at high bias. The subgap data of 5 × 5 μm2 mesa were successfully fit with a momentum averaged d-wave model using convenient parameters. Thus our data is consistent with the predominant pairing symmetry suggested by point contact tunneling, break junction, scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and angle resolved photoemission measurements in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ

Reply to Comment on \u27Counterintuitive Consequence of Heating in Strongly-Driven Intrinsic Junctions of Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O \u3csub\u3e8+δ\u3c/sub\u3e Mesas\u27

The main criticism raised in the preceding Comment concerns our suggestion that sharp conduction peaks in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O 8+δ mesas, along with absent dip-hump features, may, in general, be a result of self-heating. The author points to the variety of experimental configurations, matrix-element effects, and doping dependencies that might allow a diversity of conductance spectra. We argue that numerous mesa studies (with fixed matrix elements) firmly establish the systematic development of sharp conductance peaks with increased self-heating, and thus, the issue of nonuniversality of tunneling characteristics is not relevant. The author mentions a number of studies that show that the mesa is superconducting near the conductance peak voltage. This is not in dispute and indicates a misinterpretation of our analysis that is clarified here. To address further comments on the technical details of our heating model, we reiterate that our conclusions are independent of our model but rather are based solely on experimental data that are not in dispute

Counterintuitive Consequence of Heating in Strongly-Driven Intrinsic Junctions of Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O\u3csub\u3e8+δ\u3c/sub\u3e mesas

Anomalously high and sharp peaks in the conductance of intrinsic Josephson junctions in Bi2 Sr2 CaCu2 O 8+δ (Bi2212) mesas have been commonly interpreted as superconducting energy gaps but here we show they are a result of strong self-heating. This conclusion follows directly from a comparison to the equilibrium gap measured by tunneling in single break junctions on equivalent crystals. As the number of junctions in the mesa, N, and thus heating increase, the peak voltages decrease and the peak width abruptly sharpens for N≥12. Clearly these widely variable features vs N cannot all represent the equilibrium properties. Our data imply that the sharp peaks represent a transition to the normal state. That it occurs at the same dissipated power for N=12-30 strongly implicates heating as the cause. Although peak sharpening due to heating is counterintuitive, as tunneling spectra usually broaden at higher temperatures, a lateral temperature gradient, leading to coexistence of normal hot spots and superconductive regions, qualitatively explains the behavior. However, a more uniform temperature profile cannot be ruled out. As the peak\u27s width and voltage in our shortest mesa (N=6) are more consistent with the break junction data, we propose a figure of merit for Bi2212 mesas, the relative conductance peak width, such that small values signal a crossover into the strong self-heating regime