Ferromagnet-superconductor proximity effect: The clean limit

We study theoretically the influence of ferromagnetic metals on a superconducting film in the clean limit. Using a self-consistent solution of the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation for a ferromagnet-superconductor-ferromagnet double junction, we calculate the pair potential and conductance spectra as a function of the superconducting layer thickness d for different strengths of ferromagnets and interface transparencies. We find that the pair potential and the critical temperature are weakly perturbed by the exchange interaction and do not drop to zero for any finite d. On the other hand, for thin superconducting films charge transport is spin-polarized and exhibits a significant dependence on the ferromagnetic strength and magnetization alignment.