Properties of small HTSC mesa structures: common problems of interlayer tunneling

I analyze common problems of interlayer tunneling in Bi-2212 mesa structures, such as self-heating and non-uniformity of junctions. Numerical simulations have shown that self-heating does not mask the temperature dependence of the superconducting gap. Major problems can be avoided by decreasing mesa sizes. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.