Construction of a Cantilever-Andreev-Tunneling rig and its applications to superconductors

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new point-contact spectroscopy technique using an electro-mechanical mechanism, suitable for cryogenic environments, demonstrated on various superconductors to study their order parameters.

Contribution

It presents a novel, simple, and versatile point-contact spectroscopy method applicable in cryostats for investigating superconducting materials.

Findings

Effective conductance measurements on Nb, MgB₂, and CeCoIn₅.

Technique proves useful for analyzing superconducting order parameters.

Demonstrates versatility in different cryogenic setups.

Abstract

A technique for point-contact spectroscopy, based on an electro-mechanical mechanism for the contact formation, has been developed. It is designed to be used in both $^4$He and $^3$He cryostats. The performance has been demonstrated by conductance measurements on various kinds of superconductors, including the conventional superconductor Nb, the two-band superconductor MgB$_2$, and the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn$_5$. Characteristic conductance spectra obtained prove this technique is useful for the investigation of the superconducting order parameter. Advantages of this technique such as its simplicity and versatility are described.