Giant Resonances in Superconducting Films Induced by Nonsuperconducting Layers

Abstract

We find that commensurate resonances in superconducting films endowed with a $SISIS$ structure, where $S$ and $I$ stand for superconducting and insulating layers, respectively, enhance the gap to a value three to four times the bulk gap. Such resonances rely on spatially localized quantum states that arise due to the commensurability between the total film thickness and the distance between the two insulating barriers. Our results are obtained in the context of the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations within the Anderson approximation, applied here to Bi films, where quantum size effects are possible due to the abnormally large mean free path.