Observation of Andreev bound states in YBaCuO/Au/Nb ramp-type Josephson junctions

TL;DR

This study investigates Andreev bound states and tunneling phenomena in YBaCuO/Au/Nb ramp Josephson junctions, revealing orientation-insensitive quasiparticle spectra and the presence of bound states consistent with theoretical models.

Contribution

It provides systematic experimental evidence of Andreev bound states in high-temperature superconductor junctions, highlighting orientation effects and spectral features.

Findings

ZBCP observed up to 77 K and unaffected by magnetic fields up to 7 T

Quasiparticle spectra are orientation insensitive despite crystallographic differences

Spectra consistent with broadened Andreev bound states at interfaces

Abstract

We report on Josephson and quasiparticle tunneling in YBa2Cu3O7-x(YBCO)/Au/Nb ramp junctions of several geometries. Macroscopically, tunneling occurs in the ab-plane of YBCO either in the (100) and (010) direction, or in the (110) direction. These junctions have a stable and macroscopically well defined geometry. This allows systematic investigations of both quasiparticle and Josephson tunneling over a wide range of temperature and magnetic field. With Nb superconducting, its gap appears in the quasiparticle conductance spectra as Nb coherence peaks and a dip at the center of a broadened zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP). As we increase the temperature or an applied magnetic field both the Nb coherence peaks and the dip get suppressed and the ZBCP fully develops, while states are conserved. With Nb in the normal state the ZBCP is observed up to about 77 K and is almost unaffected by an increasing field up to 7 T. The measurements are consistent with a convolution of density of states with broadened Andreev bound states formed at the YBCO/Au/Nb junction interfaces. Since junctions with different geometries are fabricated on the same substrate under the same conditions one expects to extract reliable tunneling information that is crystallographic direction sensitive. In high contrast to Josephson tunneling, however, the quasiparticle conductance spectra are crystallographic orientation insensitive: independent whether the tunneling occurs in the (100) or (110) directions, a pronounced ZBCP is always observed, consistent with microscopic roughness of the junction interfaces. Qualitatively, all these particularities regarding quasiparticle spectra hold regardless whether the YBCO thin film is twinned or untwinned.