We have found experimentally that the critical current of a square thin-film superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) depends exponentially upon the side length L and the square root of the temperature T, a behavior that has a natural theoretical explanation in terms of longitudinal proximity effects if the TES is regarded as a weak link between superconducting leads. As a consequence, the ...

Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) are superconducting detectors that sense the change in the surface impedance of a thin superconducting film when Cooper Pairs are broken by using a high quality factor resonant circuit. We are developing strip detectors that have aluminum MKID sensors on both ends of a rectangular tantalum strip. These devices can provide one dimensional spatial im...

The effect of surface bond-order loss on the classical resistivity of metallic polycrystalline thin films is studied. The potential barriers due to grain boundaries considered here contain square-well depressions on both sides taking into account the effect of surface bond-order loss for the grains in a film. Electron scattering by film surfaces is also considered following the lines of Fuchs’ ...

In this research work, silica nano-porous thin films were deposited on glass substrates by layer by layer method. The thin films were calcinated at various calcination temperatures (200, 300, 400, and 500 °C). The morphology, surface characteristics, surface roughness and hydrophilic properties of the thin films were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy, attenuated total ...

Thin films of LaS were prepared by using spray pyrolysis technique at 270 0 C and thickness were varied by changing the concentration of reactant solution. The films were optically characterized and their variations with film thickness were studies. It was found that thickness can be tuned by varying concentration of reactant solution. The band gap was found to vary between 2.35eV to 2.50eV. Th...

copper sulphide (cu 2 s) thin films at different thicknesses and annealing temperatures were deposited onto glass substrate by vacuum evaporation method. xrd study reveals the phase transformation of cu     2 s film at higher thickness. optical and resistivity study show the phase transformation of the film from cu     2 s to cus when they are annealed at higher temperature. sem st...

Current-voltage (I − V ) characteristics and the increase of superconducting transition temperature Tc as a function of the number of half-unit-cell layers n are studied on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. These observations are interpreted in terms of Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) transition associated with vortex string threading the film. Considering the change in the t...

This issue of the IBM journal describes recent advances in the field of nanoscience, with an emphasis on cathode lens-based microscopy methods, including LEEM (low-energy electron microscopy), PEEM (photoemission electron microscopy), and other related analytical approaches. Papers highlight scientific advances and instrumental developments on topics that include thin films, organic films, surf...