Vortex Pinning in Niobium covered by a thin polycrystalline Gold

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2507.22515v1
• Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2025 09:39:02 GMT
• Title: Vortex Pinning in Niobium covered by a thin polycrystalline Gold
• Authors: Wenbin Li, Ivan Villani, Ylea Vlamidis, Matteo Carrega, Letizia Ferbel, Leonardo Sabattini, Antonio Rossi, Wen Si, Stefano Veronesi, Camilla Coletti, Sergio Pezzini, Masahiro Haze, Yukio Hasegawa, Stefan Heun,
• Abstract summary: Niobium (Nb) is an excellent candidate material for superconducting electronics and applications in quantum technology.<n>We perform scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy experiments on Nb films covered by a thin gold (Au) film.
• Score: 2.171458263236919
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: Owing to its superconducting properties, Niobium (Nb) is an excellent candidate material for superconducting electronics and applications in quantum technology. Here we perform scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy experiments on Nb films covered by a thin gold (Au) film. We investigate the minigap structure of the proximitized region and provide evidence for a highly transparent interface between Nb and Au, beneficial for device applications. Imaging of Abrikosov vortices in presence of a perpendicular magnetic field is reported. The data show vortex pinning by the granular structure of the polycrystalline Au film. Our results show robust and homogeneous superconducting properties of thin Nb film in the presence of a gold capping layer. The Au film not only protects the Nb from surface oxidation but also preserves its excellent superconducting properties.

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