Describes various experimental techniques for point contact production
Presents examples of point-contact spectra for pure metals, alloys and compounds, as well as for semimetals and semiconductors, heavy fermion systems, Kond-lattices, mixed valence compounds and more
Considers superconducting point contacts in respect to Andreev reflection and Josephson effects
Pays special attention to contact conductance fluctuation, and outlines new trends of research
Both authors are affiliated with the B. Verkin Institute for Low Temperatire Physics and Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Various experimental techniques for point contact production are described. Examples of point-contact spectra are presented for pure metals, alloys and compounds, as well as for semimetals and semiconductors, heavy fermion systems, Kond-lattices, mixed valence compounds and more. Superconducting point contacts are considered in respect to Andreev reflection and Josephson effects. Special attention is paid to contact conductance fluctuation, and new trends of research are outlined.
|The main goal of solid-state physics is investigation of the properties of the matter including the mechanical, electrical, optical, magnetic, and so on with the aim of developing new materials with defined characteristics. Nowadays, the synthesis of superconductors with high critical temperature it consists of or fabrication of new heterostructures on the base of semiconductors, in cre ation of layered, amorphous, organic, or nanofabricated structures and many others. To do all of these, the various methods of investigation are developed during the past. Because it is impossible to find an universal method to in vestigate a variety of materials, which are either conducting or insulating, crystalline or amorphous, thin-layered or bulk, magnetic or segnetoelectric, and so on, various kind of spectroscopies, like optical, neutron, electron, tun nel and so on, are widely used in solid-state physics. Recently, a new type of spectroscopy, namely, the Point-Contact Spectroscopy (PCS), was designed for study of the conduction-electron interaction mechanism with a whole class of elementary excitations in the solids. In PCS, a small constriction, about a few nanometers large, between two conductors plays a role of a spectrome ter. Namely, because of inelastic scattering of accelerated electrons, the I - V characteristic of such a tiny metallic contact is nonlinear versus an applied voltage and its second derivative surprisingly turns out to be proportional to the electron-quasiparticle-interaction spectrum.|Point-contact spectroscopy has been a powerful tool for investigating elementarty excitations in solids. This text provides fundamentals and techniques for point-contact spectroscopy, as well as an outlook for new and future research trends.
1 Introduction.- 2 Metallic point contacts as a physical tool.- 3 Fundamentals of PCS theory.- 4 Experimental techniques.- 5 PCS of quasiparticle excitations.- 6 PCS of nonphononic scattering mechanisms.- 7 Thermal effects in point contacts.- 8 Point contacts in the magnetic field.- 9 Electrical fluctuations in point contacts.- 10 Point contacts under irradiation.- 11 PCS of semimetals, semiconductors, and dielectrics.- 12 PCS of superconductors.- 13 PCS of high-Tc and other uncommon superconductors.- 14 PCS of heavy-fermion systems.- 15 New trends in research.
A new type of spectroscopy, Point-Contact Spectroscopy, was created for the study of conduction electron interaction mechanism with a class of elementary excitations in solids. The goal of this book is to introduce readers to Point Contact Spectroscopy.
The physical principles of spectroscopy of quasi-particle excitations in metals at low temperatures by means of point contacts are presented. The point contact constitutes a tiny metallic bridge connecting bulk electrodes. Along with the most thoroughly studied phonon excitations, the interaction of electrons with other quasiparticles (magnons, crystal-field electron excitations, paramagnetic impurities, two-level systems, etc), are reviewed.
Various experimental techniques for point contact production are described. Examples of point-contact spectra are presented for pure metals, alloys and compounds, as well as for semimetals and semiconductors, high-Tc and other exotic superconductors, heavy fermion systems, Kondo-lattices, mixed valence compounds and more. Special attention is paid to contact conductance behavior in superconducting states, in high magnetic fields and under high-frequency radiation. The theoretical part of the book is restricted to presenting the main relations without superfluous details.
Point-Contact Spectroscopy includes more than 200 figures.
The main goal of solid-state physics is investigation of the properties of the matter including the mechanical, electrical, optical, magnetic, and so on with the aim of developing new materials with defined characteristics. Nowadays, the synthesis of superconductors with high critical temperature it consists of or fabrication of new heterostructures on the base of semiconductors, in cre ation of layered, amorphous, organic, or nanofabricated structures and many others. To do all of these, the various methods of investigation are developed during the past. Because it is impossible to find an universal method to in vestigate a variety of materials, which are either conducting or insulating, crystalline or amorphous, thin-layered or bulk, magnetic or segnetoelectric, and so on, various kind of spectroscopies, like optical, neutron, electron, tun nel and so on, are widely used in solid-state physics. Recently, a new type of spectroscopy, namely, the Point-Contact Spectroscopy (PCS), wasdesigned for study of the conduction-electron interaction mechanism with a whole class of elementary excitations in the solids. In PCS, a small constriction, about a few nanometers large, between two conductors plays a role of a spectrome ter. Namely, because of inelastic scattering of accelerated electrons, the I - V characteristic of such a tiny metallic contact is nonlinear versus an applied voltage and its second derivative surprisingly turns out to be proportional to the electron-quasiparticle-interaction spectrum.
Über den Autor
Both authors are affiliated with the B. Verkin Institute for Low Temperatire Physics and Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
1 Introduction.- 2 Metallic point contacts as a physical tool.- 3 Fundamentals of PCS theory.- 4 Experimental techniques.- 5 PCS of quasiparticle excitations.- 6 PCS of nonphononic scattering mechanisms.- 7 Thermal effects in point contacts.- 8 Point contacts in the magnetic field.- 9 Electrical fluctuations in point contacts.- 10 Point contacts under irradiation.- 11 PCS of semimetals, semiconductors, and dielectrics.- 12 PCS of superconductors.- 13 PCS of high-Tc and other uncommon superconductors.- 14 PCS of heavy-fermion systems.- 15 New trends in research.
Klappentext
The main goal of solid-state physics is investigation of the properties of the matter including the mechanical, electrical, optical, magnetic, and so on with the aim of developing new materials with defined characteristics. Nowadays, the synthesis of superconductors with high critical temperature it consists of or fabrication of new heterostructures on the base of semiconductors, in cre ation of layered, amorphous, organic, or nanofabricated structures and many others. To do all of these, the various methods of investigation are developed during the past. Because it is impossible to find an universal method to in vestigate a variety of materials, which are either conducting or insulating, crystalline or amorphous, thin-layered or bulk, magnetic or segnetoelectric, and so on, various kind of spectroscopies, like optical, neutron, electron, tun nel and so on, are widely used in solid-state physics. Recently, a new type of spectroscopy, namely, the Point-Contact Spectroscopy (PCS), wasdesigned for study of the conduction-electron interaction mechanism with a whole class of elementary excitations in the solids. In PCS, a small constriction, about a few nanometers large, between two conductors plays a role of a spectrome ter. Namely, because of inelastic scattering of accelerated electrons, the I - V characteristic of such a tiny metallic contact is nonlinear versus an applied voltage and its second derivative surprisingly turns out to be proportional to the electron-quasiparticle-interaction spectrum.
Point-contact spectroscopy has been a powerful tool for investigating
elementarty excitations in solids. This text provides fundamentals and
techniques for point-contact spectroscopy, as well as an outlook for
new and future research trends.
