Crystal structure effects on vortex dynamics in superconducting MgB$_2$ thin films

Fuente: arXiv
Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Schmid, Clemens, Pokusinskyi, Anton, Gruber, Markus, Pfaff, Corentin, Courtois, Theo, Kasatkin, Alexander, Dumesnil, Karine, Mangin, Stephane, Hauet, Thomas, Dobrovolskiy, Oleksandr
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
_version_ 1866914476028067840
author Schmid, Clemens
Pokusinskyi, Anton
Gruber, Markus
Pfaff, Corentin
Courtois, Theo
Kasatkin, Alexander
Dumesnil, Karine
Mangin, Stephane
Hauet, Thomas
Dobrovolskiy, Oleksandr
author_facet Schmid, Clemens
Pokusinskyi, Anton
Gruber, Markus
Pfaff, Corentin
Courtois, Theo
Kasatkin, Alexander
Dumesnil, Karine
Mangin, Stephane
Hauet, Thomas
Dobrovolskiy, Oleksandr
contents The current-driven resistive transition is central to superconducting single-photon detectors, transition-edge sensors, and fluxonic devices. Depending on sample uniformity, dimensions, and heat removal, it can be driven by phase-slip events, flux-flow instabilities (FFI), or normal-domain formation. Here, we investigate the influence of two types of microstructural defects on vortex dynamics in MgB$_2$ films: columnar growth in textured films and buffer-layer roughness in single-crystal films. The current-voltage ($I$-$V$) curves measured at $T \approx 0.25 T_\mathrm{c}$ for both films exhibit multiple steps. Time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulations reproduce the major features of the experimental $I$-$V$ curves and suggest that the resistive transitions for both films are mediated by the formation and growth of normal domains rather than FFI. The single-crystal film with buffer-layer roughness exhibits superconductivity breakdown at higher currents and pinning activation energies approximately twice those of the textured film, along with more pronounced multi-step features in the $I$-$V$ curves. These features are attributed to the combination of stronger pinning induced by lateral variations of the superconducting order parameter along the MgO buffer layer and its lower thermal boundary resistance. Our results show that both the film microstructure and the film-buffer interface are critical for the resistive transition, offering insights for superconducting devices requiring controlled dissipation at high transport currents.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_14022
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Crystal structure effects on vortex dynamics in superconducting MgB$_2$ thin films
Schmid, Clemens
Pokusinskyi, Anton
Gruber, Markus
Pfaff, Corentin
Courtois, Theo
Kasatkin, Alexander
Dumesnil, Karine
Mangin, Stephane
Hauet, Thomas
Dobrovolskiy, Oleksandr
Superconductivity
The current-driven resistive transition is central to superconducting single-photon detectors, transition-edge sensors, and fluxonic devices. Depending on sample uniformity, dimensions, and heat removal, it can be driven by phase-slip events, flux-flow instabilities (FFI), or normal-domain formation. Here, we investigate the influence of two types of microstructural defects on vortex dynamics in MgB$_2$ films: columnar growth in textured films and buffer-layer roughness in single-crystal films. The current-voltage ($I$-$V$) curves measured at $T \approx 0.25 T_\mathrm{c}$ for both films exhibit multiple steps. Time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulations reproduce the major features of the experimental $I$-$V$ curves and suggest that the resistive transitions for both films are mediated by the formation and growth of normal domains rather than FFI. The single-crystal film with buffer-layer roughness exhibits superconductivity breakdown at higher currents and pinning activation energies approximately twice those of the textured film, along with more pronounced multi-step features in the $I$-$V$ curves. These features are attributed to the combination of stronger pinning induced by lateral variations of the superconducting order parameter along the MgO buffer layer and its lower thermal boundary resistance. Our results show that both the film microstructure and the film-buffer interface are critical for the resistive transition, offering insights for superconducting devices requiring controlled dissipation at high transport currents.
title Crystal structure effects on vortex dynamics in superconducting MgB$_2$ thin films
topic Superconductivity
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.14022