Superconducting Pair Correlations in an Amorphous Insulating Nanohoneycomb Film
M. D. Stewart, Jr.,1
Aijun Yin,2
J. M. Xu,1,2
James M. Valles, Jr.1*
The Cooper pairing mechanism that binds single electrons to
form pairs in metals allows electrons to circumvent the exclusion
principle and condense into a single superconducting or zero-resistance
state. We present results from an amorphous bismuth film system
patterned with a nanohoneycomb array of holes, which undergoes
a thickness-tuned insulator-superconductor transition. The insulating
films exhibit activated resistances and magnetoresistance oscillations
dictated by the superconducting flux quantum
h/2
e. This 2
e period
is direct evidence indicating that Cooper pairing is also responsible
for electrically insulating behavior.
2 Division of Engineering, Brown University, 182 Hope Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: valles{at}physics.brown.edu
