Efficient electron refrigeration using superconductor/spin-filter devices

Abstract

Efficient electron-refrigeration based on a normal-metal/spin-filter/ superconductor junction is proposed and demonstrated theoretically. The spin-filtering effect leads to values of the cooling power much higher than in conventional normal-metal/nonmagnetic-insulator/superconductor coolers and allows for an efficient extraction of heat from the normal metal. We demonstrate that highly efficient cooling can be realized in both ballistic and diffusive multi-channel junctions in which the reduction of the electron temperature from 300 mK to around 50 mK can be achieved. Our results indicate the practical usefulness of spin-filters for efficiently cooling detectors, sensors, and quantum devices. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.