Open access
Date
2017-08Type
- Journal Article
ETH Bibliography
yes
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Abstract
The quest to create superconductors with higher transition temperatures is as old as
superconductivity itself. One strategy, popular after the realization that (conventional)
superconductivity is mediated by phonons, is to chemically combine different elements
within the crystalline unit cell to maximize the electron-phonon coupling. This led to
the discovery of NbTi and Nb3Sn, to name just the most technologically relevant examples.
Here, we propose a radically different approach to transform a ‘pristine’ material
into a better (meta-) superconductor by making use of modern fabrication techniques:
designing and engineering the electronic properties of thin films via periodic patterning
on the nanoscale. We present a model calculation to explore the key effects of different
supercells that could be fabricated using nanofabrication or deliberate lattice mismatch,
and demonstrate that specific pattern will enhance the coupling and the transition temperature.
We also discuss how numerical methods could predict the correct design parameters
to improve superconductivity in materials including Al, NbTi, and MgB2. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000176115Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
SciPost PhysicsVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
SciPost FoundationOrganisational unit
03571 - Sigrist, Manfred / Sigrist, Manfred
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ETH Bibliography
yes
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