2008/10/31 by Bernard Pannetier, H. Courtois, Herve' Courtois +1 · 37 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Condensed matter physics #Diffusion #Electron #Flux pumping #High-temperature superconductivity #Insulator (electricity) #Josephson effect #Materials science #Optoelectronics #Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Pi Josephson junction #Quantum mechanics #Quantum tunnelling #Quasiparticle #Superconducting and THz Device Technology #Superconducting tunnel junction #Superconductivity #Superconductivity in MgB2 and Alloys #Tunnel junction #Type-I superconductor #cond-mat.mes-hall #cond-mat.mtrl-sci
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.80.214521
published in Physical Review B 80(21) (American Physical Society) · 4 pages, 3 figures
arxiv created 2009/09/13 · openalex publication_date 2009/12/18 · arxiv updated 2013/05/29 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
In a hybrid Superconductor-Insulator-Normal metal tunnel junction biased just below the gap, the extraction of hot electrons out of the normal metal results in electronic cooling effect. The quasiparticles injected in the superconductor accumulate near the tunnel interface, thus increasing the effective superconductor temperature. We propose a simple model for the diffusion of excess quasiparticles in a superconducting strip with an additional trap junction. This diffusion model has a complete analytic solution, which depends on experimentally accessible parameters. We find that the accumulated quasiparticles near the junction reduce the efficiency of the device. This study is also relevant to more general situations making use of superconducting tunnel junctions, as low temperature detectors.