Abstract:

The controlled modification of superconductivity by any means is a long-standing issue in low-temperature physics. In this work, we present data on the control of the superconducting properties of conventional low critical-temperature (T-C) Nb thin films with thickness (d(Nb)) =15 and 20 nm under application of reconfigurable strain, S induced by an external electric field, and E-ex to a piezoelectric (PE) single crystal, namely (1 - x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3 - x PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) with x =0.30-0.31. The experimental results (reduction of T-C and critical current (J(C)) on the order of 6% and 90-100%, respectively) are nicely reproduced with a phenomenological model that incorporates the constitutive relation S(E-ex) that describes the electro-mechanical response of the PE crystal to well-established formulas that describe T-C and J(C) of the SC thin films.