Critical fields of thin superconducting films. I. Thickness effects

Abstract

A theoretical model is presented with which the critical magnetic fields of thin superconducting films can be calculated from any theory of superconductivity for which the kernel of the current-vector potential relationship is known. The model is worked out in detail for the nonlocal theory of Pippard with specular boundary conditions, and the critical field is shown to be a function of film thickness and the nonlocal parameters and 0L2. The results are compared to critical-field data for pure indium films and are found to predict very well the observed thickness dependence of critical field. On the basis of reasonable assumptions, 0 and L(0) are calculated from the indium critical field data to be 2600400 and 35030, respectively. © 1962 The American Physical Society.