Evolution of dissipative regimes in atomically thin $\text{Bi}_{2}\text{Sr}_{2}\text{CaCu}_{2}\text{O}_{8+x}$ superconductor

TL;DR

This study explores how nanoscale confinement affects vortex dissipation in a high-temperature superconductor, revealing that reducing sample size can diminish vortex-related energy losses, which is vital for developing miniaturized superconducting devices.

Contribution

The paper introduces a new thermoelectric chip platform to study vortex dissipation at the atomic scale in high-temperature superconductors, highlighting the impact of finite size effects.

Findings

Nanoscale lateral confinement reduces vortex dissipation.

Development of silicon nitride microprinted thermoelectric chips.

Finite size effects are significant near the dimensional crossover.

Abstract

Thermoelectric transport has been widely used to study Abrikosov vortex dynamics in unconventional superconductors. However, only a few thermoelectric studies have been conducted near the dimensional crossover that occurs when the vortex-vortex interaction length scale becomes comparable to the sample size. Here we report the effects of finite size on the dissipation mechanisms of the Nernst effect in the optimally doped $\text{Bi}_{2}\text{Sr}_{2}\text{CaCu}_{2}\text{O}_{8+x}$ high-temperature superconductor, down to the atomic length limit. To access this regime, we develop a new generation of thermoelectric chips based on silicon nitride microprinted circuit boards. These chips ensure optimized signals while preventing sample deterioration. Our results demonstrate that lateral confinement at the nanoscale can effectively reduce vortex dissipation. Investigating vortex dissipation at the micro- and nano-scale is essential for creating stable, miniaturized superconducting circuits.