ON THE POSSIBILITY OF NEW HIGH-TC SUPERCONDUCTORS BY PRODUCING METAL HETEROSTRUCTURES AS IN THE CUPRATE PEROVSKITES

Here we propose a possible way to produce superconductors with high critical temperature T(c) by confinement of a Fermi liquid in a superlattice of quantum stripes (wells, wires or dots). The enhancement of T(c) is obtained by tuning the size L of the stripes (wells, wires or dots), and the wavelength of electrons at the Fermi level lambda(F) at the resonance condition L approximately lambda(F). The 3D superconducting phase is stabilized by the condition that the separation W between the stripes (wells, wires or dots) should be of the order of the coherence length xi0. This quantum state is realized in Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu2O8+y superconductor with T(c)=84K, where the resonance condition k(Fy) approximately 2pi/L for the component of the Fermi wavevector normal to the stripe direction holds. This work gives the parameters for the design of new superconducting materials with higher T(c) made of metal heterostructures approaching the atomic limit.