Proximity effect in iridium-gold bilayers

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Abstract
We have studied the proximity effect in bilayers of thin films of iridium covered by gold. By varying the thicknesses of the iridium and gold layers, we achieved critical temperatures as low as 33 mK. The critical temperature of the bilayers is lower than predicted by the theory of de Gennes–Werthamer [J. J. Hauser, H. C. Treuerer, and N. R. Werthamer, Phys. Rev. 136, A637 (1964)], but adding a free parameter to the theory allows good agreement. The transitions of the bilayers typically had widths of a few mK, with the narrowest reaching 0.2 mK, and were always steeper than those of pure iridium films evaporated simultaneously. Such bilayers can be used as superconducting phase transition thermometers in cryogenic particle detectors.