Non-linear <i>IV</i> characteristics in two-dimensional superconductors: Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless physics vs inhomogeneity

One of the hallmarks of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition in two-dimensional superconductors is the universal jump of the superfluid density, that can be indirectly probed via the non-linear exponent of the current-voltage IV characteristics. Here, we compare the experimental measurements of IV characteristics in two cases, namely NbN thin films and SrTiO₃-based interfaces. While the former display a paradigmatic example of BKT-like non-linear effects, the latter do not seem to justify a BKT analysis. Rather, the observed IV characteristics can be well reproduced theoretically by modelling the effect of mesoscopic inhomogeneity of the superconducting state. Our results offer an alternative perspective on the spontaneous fragmentation of the superconducting background in confined two-dimensional systems.

G. Venditti, J. Biscaras, S. Hurand, N. Bergeal, J. Lesueur, A. Dogra, R. C. Budhani, Mintu Mondal, John Jesudasan, Pratap Raychaudhuri, S. Caprara, and L. Benfatto, Phys. Rev. B 100, 064506 (2019)