Nanometer-scale structure for the study of flux-line lattice shearing in superconducting double layers of <i>a</i>-Nb3Ge and NbN

Abstract

The fabrication of a nanometer-scale device structure for the study of flux-line lattice shearing in a superconducting double layer of 500-nm amorphous Nb3Ge (bottom) and 50-nm polycrystalline NbN (top) is reported. The device, serving as a model system for technical type-II superconductors, consists of an array of channels in the NbN top layer, each about 100 nm wide and 500 μm long. The preliminary measurements show unique features of flux line shear in a well-defined channel structure.