Area-dependence of spin-triplet supercurrent in ferromagnetic Josephson junctions

Josephson junctions containing multiple ferromagnetic layers can carry spin-triplet supercurrent under certain conditions. Large-area junctions containing multiple domains are expected to have a random distribution of 0 or π coupling across the junction surface, whereas magnetized samples should have uniquely π coupling everywhere. We have measured the area-dependence of the critical current in such junctions, and confirm that the critical current scales linearly with area in magnetized junctions. For as-grown (multidomain) samples, the results are mixed. Samples grown on a thick Nb base exhibit critical currents that scale sublinearly with area, while samples grown on a smoother Nb/Al multilayer base exhibit critical currents that scale linearly with area. The latter results are consistent with a theoretical picture due to Zyuzin and Spivak that predicts that the as-grown samples should have global π/2 coupling.