Summary
We have realized planar tunnel junctions using both Y123 and Y124 single crystals as base electrodes and Pb as counterelectrode. The crystals, with T c=90 K (Y123) and T c=80 K (Y124), have been chemically etched and natural barriers were formed by a short air exposure. We have compared the tunneling spectra obtained on both systems. The features at about±18mV of the Y123 compound are still observed in the Y124, while the low-bias structures at ±5 mV are not present in the tunneling characteristics of the Y124 system. Linearity of the background conductance is also observed, with less steep slopes in Y124 that might indicate a reduced interlayer coupling in this system.
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Romano, P., Di Leo, R., Nigro, A. et al. Tunnel spectroscopy into the YBa2Cu4O8 compound. Il Nuovo Cimento D 16, 1885–1888 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02462189
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02462189