Charge density wave transport in submicron antidot arrays in NbSe3

TL;DR

This paper reports the fabrication of submicron antidot arrays in NbSe3 crystals and investigates how these nanoscale patterns influence charge density wave transport and electrical properties.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to pattern submicron antidots in NbSe3 and studies their effects on CDW transport at the mesoscale.

Findings

Size effects observed in residual resistance.

Altered current-voltage characteristics in antidot arrays.

Demonstration of patterning in single crystals.

Abstract

We demonstrate for the first time that a periodic array of submicrometer holes (antidots) can be patterned into thin single NbSe3 crystals. We report on the study of charge density wave (CDW) transport of the network of mesoscopic units between antidots. Size of the elementary unit can be as small as 0.5 micron along the chain axis and (0.2 micron) x (0.3 micron) in cross section. We observe size effects for Ohmic residual resistance and in CDW transport current-voltage characteristics in submicronic networks.