Zero-bias conductance peak reduction by diffusive normal metal in high-Tc superconductor tunnel junctions Original Research Article

We report investigations of the smearing origin about a zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) observed in high-Tc superconductor (HTSC) tunnel junctions from the point of view of the circuit theory analysis for d-wave superconductors. The ZBCP enhancement was measured in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ–SiO–Ag planar tunnel junctions only for ab-plane directions. On the other hand, the circuit theory has been recently generalized from conventional superconductors to unconventional superconductors. The analysis in terms of the circuit theory reveals that the tunneling spectral behaviors of the ZBCP were well explained even when the Dynesʹs broadening factor was excluded from a tunneling spectral formula. Thus, the smearing effect in the ZBCP is understood by the influence of a diffusive normal metal resistance in the systems of HTSC tunnel junctions.