Depth-resolved transport measurements and atom-probe tomography of heterogeneous, superconducting Ge:Ga films

Ge films with a mean Ga content of about 8 at.% and 1 at.% hole concentration can be fabricated by ion implantation and subsequent flash-lamp annealing. The Ge:Ga films become superconducting below critical temperatures in the range between 1 and 2 K depending on the film resistance. The change of the macroscopic transport properties during step-wise surface etching can be described by a homogeneously doped layer model. However, the Ga distribution is extremely heterogeneous on the nanoscale. Atom-probe tomography analyses reveal the presence of Ga-rich precipitates with Ga clusters up to 10,000 atoms. Since no percolating Ga cluster exists, it can be supposed that the heavy doping of Ge enables a coherent superconducting state via the proximity effect.