Coulomb oscillation of a deuteron in a Ni-Nb-Zr-D glassy alloy with multiple junctions

M. Fukuhara; A. Inoue

doi:doi:10.1209/0295-5075/83/36002

EPL, 83 (2008) 36002
DOI: 10.1209/0295-5075/83/36002

Coulomb oscillation of a deuteron in a Ni-Nb-Zr-D glassy alloy with multiple junctions

M. Fukuhara and A. Inoue

Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University - Sendai 980-8577, Japan

fukuhara@imr.tohoku.ac.jp

received 28 April 2008; accepted in final form 9 June 2008; published August 2008
published online 23 July 2008

Abstract
Electric-current-induced voltage oscillation at 600-740 kHz was observed in the current-voltage curves of nanoscopic size tunnel junctions arranged in a low-capacitance, multiple-junction configuration of ((Ni₆₀Nb₄₀)_100-xZr_x)_100-y D_y (x=30, 35, 40 and 45, 9.1 $\leqslant y\leqslant$ 14.8) glassy alloys in the temperature range of 373 K to 6 K. This behavior appeared to be derived from Coulomb oscillation resulting from the tunneling of individual deuteron charging and discharging the vacancy capacitance of Zr-D- $\square$ -D-Zr atomic bond arrays among Zr-tetrahedral clusters, where $\square$ is the vacancy barrier between clusters.

PACS
61.43.Dq - Amorphous semiconductors, metals, and alloys.
73.21.La - Quantum dots.
73.23.Hk - Coulomb blockade; single-electron tunneling.

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