Related papers: The energy resolution function of a tunnel junctio…
In this work we discuss the combined effects of finite-range electron-electron interaction and finite-range tunneling on the transport properties of ultrasmall tunnel junctions. We show that the Coulomb blockade phenomenon is deeply…
We calculate the conductance through double junctions of the type M(inf.)-Sn-Mm-Sn-M(inf.) and triple junctions of the type M(inf.)-Sn-Mm-Sn-Mm-Sn-M(inf.), where M(inf.) are semi-infinite metallic electrodes, Sn are 'n' layers of…
In the development of the first generation of sensors and memory chips based on spin-dependent tunneling through a thin trilayer, it has become clear that pinhole defects can have a deleterious effect on magnetoresistance. However, current…
The interplay between the electron transport in metal/ferroelectric/metal junctions with ultrathin ferroelectric barriers and the polarization state of a barrier is investigated. Using a model which takes into account screening of…
Atomic-scale junctions are a powerful tool to study quantum transport, and are frequently examined through the mechanically controllable break junction technique (MCBJ). The junction-to-junction variation of atomic configurations often…
In a hybrid Superconductor - Insulator - Normal metal tunnel junction biased just below the gap, the extraction of hot electrons out of the normal metal results in electronic cooling effect. The quasiparticles injected in the superconductor…
It is shown that in a structure consisting of a superconducting ring-shaped electrode overlapped by a normal metal contact through a thin oxide barrier, measurements of the tunnel current in magnetic field can probe persistent currents in…
Superconducting Tunnel Junctions (STJ's) are currently being developed as photon detectors for a wide range of applications. Interest comes from their ability to cumulate photon counting with chromaticity (i.e. energy resolution) from the…
In the linear regime, thermo-electric effects between two conductors are possible only in the presence of an explicit breaking of the electron-hole symmetry. We consider a tunnel junction between two electrodes and show that this condition…
We theoretically study the electron transport properties in a ferromagnetic/normal/ferromagnetic tunnel junction, which is deposited on the top of a topological surface. The conductance at the parallel (\textbf{P}) configuration can be much…
We study charge transport of a topological superconductor connected to different electromagnetic environments using a low-energy description where only the Majorana bound states in the superconductor are included. Extending earlier findings…
Designing tunneling junctions with abrupt on-off characteristics and high current densities is critical for many different devices including backward diodes and tunneling field effect transistors (TFETs). It is possible to get a sharp, high…
We present a very efficient and accurate method to simulate scanning tunneling microscopy images and spectra from first-principles density functional calculations. The wave-functions of the tip and sample are calculated separately on the…
We revisit the Coulomb blockade of the tunnel junction with conductance much smaller than $e^2/\hbar$. We study the junction with capacitance $C$, embedded in an Ohmic electromagnetic environment modelled by a series resistance $R$ which…
The effect of electron-phonon coupling on the current noise in a molecular junction is investigated within a simple model. The model comprises a 1-level bridge representing a molecular level that connects between two free electron…
The electrical conductance of molecular junctions may strongly depend on the temperature, and weakly on molecular length, under two distinct mechanisms: phase-coherent resonant conduction, with charges proceeding via delocalized molecular…
This thesis describes the development of low-energy gap superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) for use as photon detectors, with as a main goal the improvement of the energy resolution in both the optical and the x-ray energy domain. A new…
Temperature imaging of nanoscale systems is a fundamental problem which has myriad potential technological applications. For example, nanoscopic cold spots can be used for spot cooling electronic components while hot spots could be used for…
We describe the proximity effect in a short disordered metallic junction between three superconducting leads. Andreev bound states in the multi-terminal junction may cross the Fermi level. We reveal that for a quasi-continuous metallic…
We apply the mechanically controllable break junctions technique to investigate the transition from tunneling to direct contact in tungsten. This transition is quite different from that of other metals and is determined by the local…