Suppression of superconductivity in granular metals.
We investigate the suppression of the superconducting transition temperature due to Coulomb repulsion in granular metallic systems at large tunneling conductance between the grains, g(T)>>1. We find the correction to the superconducting transition temperature for 3D granular samples and films. We demonstrate that, depending on the parameters of superconducting grains, the corresponding granular samples can be divided into two groups: (i). the granular samples that belong to the first group may have only insulating or superconducting states at zero temperature depending on the bare intergranular tunneling conductance g(T), while (ii). the granular samples that belong to the second group in addition have an intermediate metallic phase where superconductivity is suppressed while the effects of the Coulomb blockade are not yet strong.
Beloborodov
I S
IS
Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA.
Lopatin
A V
AV
Vinokur
V M
VM