Vertical Transport in Ferroelectric/Superconductor Heterostructures*

We study electric field-effects in superconducting films by measuring vertical transport in ferroelectric/superconductor heterostructures. These are based on ultrathin (4 to 8 nm thick) BiFeO3-Mn grown on YBa2Cu3O7 by pulsed laser deposition. Nanoscale contacts are defined on the BiFeO3 via a series of nanofabrication steps which include e-beam lithography, metal deposition (Nb or Co capped with Pt) and lift-off. Conductive-tip atomic force microscopy and piezoresponse force microscopy are used to characterize the transport across the ferroelectric barrier as a function of its polarization (up/down). The observed electro-resistance, measured at various temperatures, allows studying the different electric-field screening in the normal and superconducting states.