Superconducting nanostructures fabricated with the scanning tunnelling microscope

The properties of nanoscopic superconducting structures fabricated with a scanning tunnelling microscope are reviewed, with emphasis on the effects of high magnetic fields. These systems include the smallest superconducting junctions which can be fabricated, and they are a unique laboratory in which to study superconductivity under extreme conditions. The review covers a variety of recent experimental results on these systems, highlighting their unusual transport properties, and theoretical models developed for their understanding.