Dynamics of single vortices in grain boundaries: I-V characteristics on the femtovolt scale

B. Kalisky, J. R. Kirtley, E. A. Nowadnick, R. B. Dinner, E. Zeldov, Ariando, S. Wenderich, H. Hilgenkamp, D. M. Feldmann, K. A. Moler

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

We employed a scanning Hall probe microscope to detect the hopping of individual vortices between pinning sites along grain boundaries in YBa 2Cu3O6+δ thin films in the presence of an applied current. Detecting the motion of individual vortices allowed us to probe the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the grain boundary with voltage sensitivity below a femtovolt. We find a very sharp onset of dissipation with V ∞ In with an unprecedented high exponent of n≈290 that shows essentially no dependence on temperature or grain boundary angle. Our data have no straightforward explanation within the existing grain boundary transport models.

Original languageEnglish
Article number202504
JournalApplied Physics Letters
Volume94
Issue number20
DOIs
StatePublished - 2009
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank Janice Guikema and Clifford Hicks for Hall sensors, H. Karapetyan for help in measurements, and M. Beasley and A. Gurevich for useful discussions. This work is funded by an Air Force Multi-University Research Initiative (MURI), by the Center for Probing the Nanoscale (CPN), an NSF NSEC, NSF Grant no. PHY-0425897, and by the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF). E.Z. acknowledges the support of EUContract No. EU FP7 ERC-AdG.

Funding

The authors would like to thank Janice Guikema and Clifford Hicks for Hall sensors, H. Karapetyan for help in measurements, and M. Beasley and A. Gurevich for useful discussions. This work is funded by an Air Force Multi-University Research Initiative (MURI), by the Center for Probing the Nanoscale (CPN), an NSF NSEC, NSF Grant no. PHY-0425897, and by the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF). E.Z. acknowledges the support of EUContract No. EU FP7 ERC-AdG.

FundersFunder number
Air Force Multi-University Research Initiative
FP7 ERC-AdG
National Science FoundationPHY-0425897
Bonfils-Stanton Foundation
Seventh Framework Programme226246
Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative
United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation

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