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Evidence of spatial inhomogeneity near the onset of magnetically induced insulating state in superconducting thin films

C. L. Vicente·Yongguang Qin·Jongsoo Yoon
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Abstract

Non-monotonic differential resistance (dV/dI) is observed in magnetically induced insulating films which exhibit apparent superconductor-metal-insulator transitions in the low temperature limit; at low bias currents the nonlinear transport is insulator-like while at high bias currents it is characteristic of metallic phase. The non-monotonic dV/dI may be evidence that the insulating state consists of metallic domains connected by point contacts (insulating gaps), implying that spatial inhomogeneities play a dominant role in determining the nature of the apparent metal-insulator transition.

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C. L. Vicente, Yongguang Qin, Jongsoo Yoon. 2006-09-05. Evidence of spatial inhomogeneity near the onset of magnetically induced insulating state in superconducting thin films. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.74.100507

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