Point Contact Andreev Reflection (PCAR)

    We have designed and built a cryostat probe that measures spin polarization in materials via Point Contact Andreev Reflection (PCAR).  This is achieved by pressing a superconducting point contact tip like Sn, Nb, or Pb into a sample material in a liquid helium environment.  

Soulen et al,
Science 282, 85 (1998)

 

 

 

 

Conductance vs. Bias Voltage shows suppression of Andreev Reflection and allows the value of spin polarization to be extracted.

 

Relevant Publications

“Spin polarization measurements on disordered strontium ruthenates using point contact Andreev reflection” –J. Sanders, S. Kolesnik, T. Maxwell, C. Siyambalapitiya, G. T. Woods, H. Srikanth and B. Dabrowski, Physical Review B (under review, 2005)

“Spin polarization measurements on polycrystalline strontium ruthenates using point contact Andreev reflection” –J. T. Sanders, G. T. Woods, P. Poddar, H. Srikanth and B. Dabrowski, Journal of Applied Physics 97, 10C912 (2005)

“Probing magnetic anisotropy and spin polarization in spintronic materials” –P. Poddar, G. T. Woods, S. Srinath and H. Srikanth, IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology 4, 59 (2005)

“Analyzing point contact Andreev reflection” –G. T. Woods, R. J. Soulen, Jr., I. I. Mazin, M. S. Osofsky, B. Nadgorny, J. Sanders, H. Srikanth, R. Datla and C. B. Eom, Physical Review B 70, 054416 (2004)

 

 

 

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