Magnetotransport of fluxoids in intermediate-phase type-II superconducting NbN thin films around Tc

Abstract

The mixed state transport properties of type-II superconductors are strongly influenced by the dynamic behavior of quantized magnetic fluxoids around the critical temperature (Tc), where a combination of normal and superconducting properties is exhibited. To understand the mixed state transport properties of type-II superconducting NbN ultrathin films (2D) we measured sheet resistance (RxxM) and Hall resistance (RxyM) of a 5-nm-thick NbN film around Tc (10.75 K) at temperatures 10.40, 10.68, and 10.77 K. Hall resistance (HR) was measured in external out-of-plane and in-plane magnetic fields up to 6 T, using 100 µA and 1 mA driving current in Van der Pauw geometry. The electric field of applied bias and Lorentz force of applied external magnetic field causes a movement of the normal conducting electrons within each fluxoid. The moving fluxoids cause dissipation and generation of Hall voltage. We developed a macroscopic analysis of the Hall resistance arising from fluxoids, to advance the differentiation between dissipating current and superconducting currents in type-II superconductors at Tc. We have extracted the number of normal conducting carriers per fluxoid and areal density and mobility of the fluxoids in dependence on the external magnetic field. This differentiation provides valuable insights into the dissipation mechanisms observed during transport measurements, e.g., after localized heating due to single photon absorption in nanostructured type-II superconductors. Furthermore, the developed macroscopic analysis of Hall resistance of fluxoids shows promising potential for investigating the fundamental aspects of fluxoid-defect interactions in type-II superconductors. Published by the American Physical Society 2024