Andreev Reflection in Metal- and Ferromagnet-d-wave Superconductor Tunnel Junctions

We report on the tunneling spectroscopy of tunnel junctions using d-wave superconductor in relation to Andreev reflection. The zero bias conductance peak (ZBCP) which has maximum on [110] direction of ab-plane is observed on metal $Au/YBa_2Cu_3O_y$ tunnel junctions while it is suppressed on the ferromagnetic $Co/Au/YBa_2Cu_3O_y$ tunnel junctions. The effects of Andreev reflection on the differential conductance of each junction are dependent on the tunnel direction. For the $Co/Au/YBa_2Cu_3O_y$ junction, the suppression of Andreev reflection takes place by spin-polarized quasiparticles tunneling from a ferromagnetic material to a d-wave superconductor. By comparing these experimental results with recent theoretical works on Andreev reflection, the existence of Andreev bound state due to the d-wave symmetry of the pair potential is verified in high-$T_c$ superconductor.