We report superconducting kinetic inductance memory (SKIM) element, which can be controlled exclusively by the bias supercurrent, without involving magnetic fields and heating elements. The SKIM is non-volatile memory. The device is made of Nb and it can operate reliable up to 2.8 K. The achieved error rate is as low as one in 100000 operations.

Sandstone mechanical stability is of key concern in projects involving injections of CO2 in sandstone geological reservoirs, for the purpose of long-term storage. We developed a method to measure nanometer-scale deformations of sandstones in real time. We demonstrate that Berea sandstone, when hydrated, changes dimensions with a relative deformation of the order of 10-4. If the moisture content increases, sandstone samples exhibit an extension and if the moisture content decreases then the samples shrink. We also discover that, immediately after exposure to water, the sandstone temporarily shrinks, just for a few seconds, after which a slow extension begins, and continues until about half of the fluid evaporates. Such shrinkage followed by an extension has been observed also when the sample was exposed to acetone, Mineral Spirits or Vacuum Oil. The results are obtained using a high-resolution nanopositioner technique and, in independent experiments, confirmed using the technique of coda wave interferometry.

The main mechanism of energy loss in capacitors with nanoscale dielectric films is leakage currents. Using the example of Al-Al2O3-Al, we show that there are two main contributions, namely the...

It is well-known in optics that the spectroscopic resolution of a diffraction grating is much better compared to an interference device having just two slits, as in Young’s famous double-slit experiment. On the other hand, it is well known that a classical superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) is analogous to the optical double-slit experiment. Here we report experiments and present a model describing a superconducting analogue to the diffraction grating, namely an array of superconducting islands positioned on a topological insulator film Bi0.8Sb1.2Te3. In the limit of an extremely weak field, of the order of one vortex per the entire array, such devices exhibit a critical current peak that is much sharper than the analogous peak of an ordinary SQUID. Therefore, such arrays can be used as sensitive absolute magnetic field sensors. A key finding is that the device acts as a superconducting diode, controlled by magnetic field.

Electronic properties of ultrathin dielectric films consistently attract much attention since they play important roles in various electronic devices, such as field effect transistors and memory elements. Insulating properties of the gate oxide in transistors represent the key factor limiting Moore's law. The dielectric strength of the insulating film limits how much energy can be stored in nanocapacitors. The origin of the electric current in the nanometer-scale insulating barrier remains unexplained. Here we present an optically transparent Al-Al2O3-graphene nanocapacitor suitable for studying electronic transport in calibrated nanoscale dielectric films under high electric fields and with light exposure. The controllable flow of photons provides an additional powerful probe helping to resolve the puzzle of the electric conductivity in these highquality insulating films. The dielectric alumina, Al2O3, is deposited by atomic layer deposition technology. With this device we observe a photon-assisted field emission effect, in which the effective barrier height is reduced by a quantity equal to the photon energy. Our main finding is a reversed photoeffect. Namely, at sufficiently high bias voltages the current through the dielectric film decreases as the light intensity increases. Moreover, higher photon energies correlate with stronger decreases of the current. To explain this reversed photoeffect, we present a qualitative model based on a conjecture that electrons leak into the dielectric and form charged sandpile-like branching patterns, which facilitate transport, and which can be dispersed by light.