Mesoscopic Superconductivity
Downscaling of conventional charge-based devices faces fundamental physical limitations related to the fluctuations, dissipation and current leakage as well as finite size effects at the nanoscale. Therefore, alternative device concepts are explored intensively. Recently, hybrid superconducting nanostructures attracted a tremendous interest, because this technology has the potential to overcome these limitations and even promises a new paradigm for quantum information processing devices. The practical realisation of such devices, however, requires a detailed understanding of the transfer and the dynamics of spin and charge currents between superconducting and other normal conducting or magnetic circuit elements as well as the coupling between spin and charge degrees of freedom in these systems.
Atomic Contacts at High Currents
Using current induced forces in few-atomic contacts we investigate the mechanism of hysteretic switching behavior in two-terminal devices to improve reliability of electronic circuits. Further applications could be two-terminal memory cells.
Superconductivity and Charging Effects
We investigate current transport through superconducting single electron transistors in which one tunnel contact is replaced by a break junction. This allows to study the interplay between mesoscopic superconductivity and Coulomb blockade.
STM to probe Odd-Triplet contributions to the Long-Ranged Proximity Effect
This project investigates the formation of equal spin-triplet Cooper pairs at superconductor/ferromagnet (SF) interfaces. In particular we use scanning tunneling spectroscopy to measure the density of states in the proximitized normal layer in a superconductor/ferromagnetic insulator/normal metal (S/FI/N) structure.
Dynamic Triplet-Supercurrent generation in Ferromagnetic Josephson Junctions
This project aims at the controlled generation and manipulation of spin-carrying supercurrents in superconductor-ferromagnet hetero-structures for superconducting spintronic devices.