Superconducting nanostructures fabricated with the STM

TL;DR

This paper reviews the fabrication and properties of nanoscopic superconducting structures created with STM, focusing on their behavior under high magnetic fields and their unique transport phenomena.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent experimental and theoretical advances in superconducting nanostructures fabricated with STM under extreme conditions.

Findings

Unusual transport properties observed in nanostructures

Theoretical models explaining high-field effects

Fabrication of the smallest superconducting junctions

Abstract

The properties of nanoscopic superconducting structures fabricated with a scanning tunnelling microscope are reviewed, with emphasis on the effects of high magnetic fields. These systems include the smallest superconducting junctions which can be fabricated, and they are a unique laboratory where to study superconductivity under extreme conditions. The review covers a variety of recent experimental results on these systems, highlighting their unusual transport properties, and theoretical models developed for their understanding.