Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “CUPRATES”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 703 records · Page 39
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Optimization of La 2–x Sr x CuO 4 Single Crystal Film Growth via Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Atomic layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy (ALL-MBE) combined with ozone is one of the best methods to fabricate single-crystal thin films of complex oxides. Cuprate such as La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 (LSCO) is a representative complex-oxide high-temperature superconductor (HTS) material. Our group utilizes this method to produce high-quality single-crystal HTS films with atomically smooth surfaces and interfaces. In addition, ALL-MBE enables us to engineer multilayer heterostructures with atomic precision. This allows the fabrication of tunnel junctions, various nanostructures, and other HTS devices of interest for superconducting electronics. We have synthesized over three thousand LSCO thin films in the past two decades. These films’ structural and electronic properties have been studied and characterized by various methods. Here, we distill the extensive experience we accumulated into a step-by-step protocol to fabricate atomically perfect LSCO films. The recipe includes substrate preparation, ozone generation and distillation, source calibration, the in situ monitoring of the film synthesis, post-growth annealing, and ex situ characterization. It discloses a reproducible way to fabricate single-crystal LSCO films for basic research and HTS electronic applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Method to Probe the Interfaces in La2−xSrxCuO4-LaSrAlO4-La2−xSrxCuO4 Trilayer Junctions

C-axis trilayer cuprate Josephson junctions are essential for basic science and digital circuit applications of high-temperature superconductors. We present a method for probing the interface perfection in La2−xSrxCuO4 (LSCO)-LaSrAlO4 (LSAO)-La2−xSrxCuO4 trilayer junctions. A series of LSCO-LSAO superlattices with atomically smooth surfaces and sharp interfaces were grown by the atomic-layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy (ALL-MBE) technique. We have systematically varied the thickness of LSCO and LSAO layers with monolayer precision. By studying the mutual inductance and electrical transport in these superlattices, we detect the non-superconducting (“dead”) layers at the interfaces and quantify their thicknesses. Our results indicate that two optimally doped LSCO monolayers just above and below the one monolayer LSAO barrier are no longer superconducting, rendering the actual barrier thickness of five monolayers. Next, we have shown that introducing a protective highly-overdoped LSCO layer reduces the thickness of dead layers by one or two monolayers.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Effect of Pressure on the Superconducting Properties of Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O9-δ

This study investigated the application of pressure on the superconducting properties of a thallium-based cuprate, namely Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O9-δ (Tl-2223). The superconducting transition temperature (Tc) and the critical current density (Jc) were studied by applying ~1 GPa of pressure. This hydrostatic pressure was applied in a piston-cylinder-cell (PCC), using Pb as a manometer and Daphne 7373 oil as the pressure transmitting medium. For estimating the Jc, we used Bean’s critical state formula on the magnetic hysteresis curves at 10 K and 20 K. Both the Tc and Jc improved with pressure. The Jc values increased at both temperatures and the Tc value increased by 4 K with a pressure of 0.8 GPa. These results clearly indicate that pressure is another tool to control properties of quantum materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Effects of Out-of-Plane Disorder on the Nodal Quasiparticle and Superconducting Gap in Single-Layer Bi_2Sr_1.6Ln_0.4CuO_6 delta (Ln = La, Nd, Gd)

How out-of-plane disorder affects the electronic structure has been investigated for the single-layer cuprates Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 1.6}Ln{sub 0.4}CuO{sub 6+{delta}} (Ln = La, Nd, Gd) by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We have observed that, with increasing disorder, while the Fermi surface shape and band dispersions are not affected, the quasi-particle width increases, the anti-nodal gap is enhanced and the superconducting gap in the nodal region is depressed. The results indicate that the superconductivity is significantly depressed by out-of-plane disorder through the enhancement of the anti-nodal gap and the depression of the superconducting gap in the nodal region.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

Particle-Hole Symmetry Breaking in the Pseudogap State of Bi2201

In conventional superconductors, a gap exists in the energy absorption spectrum only below the transition temperature (T{sub c}), corresponding to the energy price to pay for breaking a Cooper pair of electrons. In high-T{sub c} cuprate superconductors above T{sub c}, an energy gap called the pseudogap exists, and is controversially attributed either to pre-formed superconducting pairs, which would exhibit particle-hole symmetry, or to competing phases which would typically break it. Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) studies suggest that the pseudogap stems from lattice translational symmetry breaking and is associated with a different characteristic spectrum for adding or removing electrons (particle-hole asymmetry). However, no signature of either spatial or energy symmetry breaking of the pseudogap has previously been observed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Here we report ARPES data from Bi2201 which reveals both particle-hole symmetry breaking and dramatic spectral broadening indicative of spatial symmetry breaking without long range order, upon crossing through T* into the pseudogap state. This symmetry breaking is found in the dominant region of the momentum space for the pseudogap, around the so-called anti-node near the Brillouin zone boundary. Our finding supports the STM conclusion that the pseudogap state is a broken-symmetry state that is distinct from homogeneous superconductivity.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2011

Incoherent c-Axis Interplane Response of the Iron Chalcogenide FeTe0:55Se0:45 Superconductor from Infrared Spectroscopy

We report on the interplane c-axis electronic response of FeTe{sub 0.55}Se{sub 0.45} investigated by infrared spectroscopy. We find that the normal-state c-axis electronic response of FeTe{sub 0.55}Se{sub 0.45} is incoherent and bears significant similarities to those of mildly underdoped cuprates. The c-axis optical conductivity {sigma}{sub c}({omega}) of FeTe{sub 0.55}Se{sub 0.45} does not display well-defined Drude response at all temperatures. As temperature decreases, {sigma}{sub c}({omega}) is continuously suppressed. The incoherent c-axis response is found to be related to the strong dissipation in the ab-plane transport: a pattern that holds true for various correlated materials as well as FeTe{sub 0.55}Se{sub 0.45}.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2011

2011 Superconductivity Gordon Research Conference (June 5-10, 2011, Waterville Valley Resort, Waterville Valley, New Hampshire)

The 2011 Gordon Research Conference on Superconductivity will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of superconductivity by providing a forum for discussion of the latest experimental and theoretical advances in this field. The conference will bring together experts to address the current challenges in understanding correlated superconductors - from cuprates and pnictides to heavy fermion superconductors. The fundamental mechanisms of superconducting pairing, the underlying explanations for thermodynamic phase diagrams including potential importance of competing phases, the correspondence between these phenomena, and the transport and spectroscopic properties of these materials will be among the themes of the conference. We will also discuss the feasibility of using lessons learned from the study of known superconductors as a guide to the future discovery of novel and higher temperature superconductors. Speakers will be strongly encouraged to present new, unpublished work, which will ensure that discussions evoke and explore new research directions. The participation of young scientists at the graduate student or post-doctoral level will be encouraged by the offering of selected presentations, focused discussions with invited speakers, and poster sessions. In addition, the organizers have earmarked funds to facilitate attendance of members of groups underrepresented in science and engineering.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Atomic-Layer Engineering of Oxide Superconductors

Molecular beam epitaxy technique has enabled synthesis of atomically smooth thin films, multilayers, and superlattices of cuprates and other complex oxides. Such heterostructures show high temperature superconductivity and enable novel experiments that probe the basic physics of this phenomenon. For example, it was established that high temperature superconductivity and anti-ferromagnetic phases separate on Angstrom scale, while the pseudo-gap state apparently mixes with high temperature superconductivity over an anomalously large length scale (the 'Giant Proximity Effect'). We review some recent experiments on such films and superlattices, including X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, angle-resolved time of flight ion scattering and recoil spectroscopy, transport measurements, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, resonant X-ray scattering, low-energy muon spin resonance, and ultrafast photo-induced reflection high energy electron diffraction. The results include an unambiguous demonstration of strong coupling of in-plane charge excitations to out-of-plane lattice vibrations, a discovery of interface high temperature superconductivity that occurs in a single CuO{sub 2} plane, evidence for local pairs, and establishing tight limits on the temperature range of superconducting fluctuations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

EPR study of the onset of long-range order in the 2D organo-metallic magnet Cu(pyz)2(pyo)2(PF6)2

The spin (S) 1/2 two-dimensional (2D) square-lattice quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet system has long been interesting to theoretical physicists due to the variety of transitions that can arise. Moreover, the role of S = 1/2 fluctuations on a square lattice in the mechanism for cuprate superconductivity is hotly debated. Low dimensional metal-organic magnets, such as Cu(pyz){sub 2}(pyo){sub 2}(PF{sub 6}){sub 2}, offer the possibility to readily control the exchange parameters in a 20 system by changing chemical composition, thus creating spin architectures with desirable properties 'to order'. For a perfectly 20 system, long range magnetic order would not occur at finite temperature. However, in the metal-organic systems, interlayer coupling gives rise to a finite Neel temperature. For these quasi-2D systems the ordering temperature is dominated by the weakest (the interlayer) exchange interaction, whereas the saturation magnetic field is dominated by the strongest exchange interactions, thus providing a means of estimating the spatial exchange anisotropy in the system. It should be noted that the more 2D the system, the wider the temperature (T) range, T{sub N} < T < J/k{sub B}, over which magnetic fluctuations dominate. As evident by the ratio of magnetic saturation field, H{sub sat} {approx} 30 T, to the Neel temperature, T{sub N} = 1.72 K, Cu(pyz){sub 2}(pyo){sub 2}(PF{sub 6}){sub 2} is a good example of a 2D system with the anisotropy between inplane and interplane exchange interactions being of the order of 10{sup 3}.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Manipulation of the Electronic State of Mott Iridate Superlattice through Protonation Induced Electron-Filling

Spin-orbit-coupled Mott iridates show great similarity with parent compounds of superconducting cuprates, attracting extensive research interest especially for their electron-doped states. However, previous experiments have been largely limited within a small doping range due to the absence of effective dopants, and therefore the electron-doped phase diagram remains elusive. Here, an ionic-liquid-gating-induced protonation method is utilized to achieve electron-doping into a 5d Mott-insulator built with a SrIrO 3 /SrTiO 3 superlattice (SL), and a systematic mapping of its electron-doped phase diagram is achieved with the evolution of the iridium valence state from 4+ to 3+, equivalent to doping of one electron per iridium ion. Along increasing doping level, the parent Mott-insulator is first turned into a localized metallic state with gradually suppressed magnetic ordering, and then further evolves into a nonmagnetic band insulating state. This work forms an important step forward for the study of electron-doped Mott iridate systems, and the strategy of manipulating the band filling in an artificially designed SL structure can be readily extended into other systems with more exotic states to explore.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Nickelate Superconductivity without Rare‐Earth Magnetism: (La,Sr)NiO 2

Abstract The occurrence of unconventional superconductivity in cuprates has long motivated the search for manifestations in other layered transition metal oxides. Recently, superconductivity is found in infinite‐layer nickelate (Nd,Sr)NiO 2 and (Pr,Sr)NiO 2 thin films, formed by topotactic reduction from the perovskite precursor phase. A topic of much current interest is whether rare‐earth moments are essential for superconductivity in this system. In this study, it is found that with significant materials optimization, substantial portions of the La 1− x Sr x NiO 2 phase diagram can enter the regime of coherent low‐temperature transport ( x = 0.14 ‐ 0.20), with subsequent superconducting transitions and a maximum onset of ≈9 K at x = 0.20. Additionally, the unexpected indication of a superconducting ground state in undoped LaNiO 2 is observed, which likely reflects the self‐doped nature of the electronic structure. Combining the results of (La/Pr/Nd) 1− x Sr x NiO 2 reveals a generalized superconducting dome, characterized by systematic shifts in the unit cell volume and in the relative electron‐hole populations across the lanthanides.

Osada, Motoki↗
DOE OSTI2023

Encapsulating High–Temperature Superconducting Twisted van der Waals Heterostructures Blocks Detrimental Effects of Disorder

High-temperature cuprate superconductors based van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures hold high technological promise. One of the obstacles hindering their progress is the detrimental effect of disorder on the properties of the vdW-devices-based Josephson junctions (JJs). Here, a new method of fabricating twisted vdW heterostructures made of Bi 2 Sr 2 CuCa 2 O 8+δ , crucially improving the JJ characteristics and pushing them up to those of the intrinsic JJs in bulk samples, is reported. The method combines cryogenic stacking using a solvent-free stencil mask technique and covering the interface by insulating hexagonal boron nitride crystals. Despite the high-vacuum condition down to 10 –6 mbar in the evaporation chamber, the interface appears to be protected from water molecules during the in situ metal deposition only when fully encapsulated. Comparing the current-voltage curves of encapsulated and unencapsulated interfaces, it is revealed that the encapsulated interfaces' characteristics are crucially improved, so that the corresponding JJs demonstrate high critical currents and sharpness of the superconducting transition comparable to those of the intrinsic JJs. Finally, it is shown that the encapsulated heterostructures are more stable over time.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2023

Charge Density Wave Order and Electronic Phase Transitions in a Dilute d ‐Band Semiconductor

Abstract As one of the most fundamental physical phenomena, charge density wave (CDW) order predominantly occurs in metallic systems such as quasi‐1D metals, doped cuprates, and transition metal dichalcogenides, where it is well understood in terms of Fermi surface nesting and electron–phonon coupling mechanisms. On the other hand, CDW phenomena in semiconducting systems, particularly at the low carrier concentration limit, are less common and feature intricate characteristics, which often necessitate the exploration of novel mechanisms, such as electron–hole coupling or Mott physics, to explain. In this study, an approach combining electrical transport, synchrotron X‐ray diffraction, and density‐functional theory calculations is used to investigate CDW order and a series of hysteretic phase transitions in a dilute d ‐band semiconductor, BaTiS 3 . These experimental and theoretical findings suggest that the observed CDW order and phase transitions in BaTiS 3 may be attributed to both electron–phonon coupling and non‐negligible electron–electron interactions in the system. This work highlights BaTiS 3 as a unique platform to explore CDW physics and novel electronic phases in the dilute filling limit and opens new opportunities for developing novel electronic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Non‐Fermi‐Liquid Behavior of Superconducting SnH 4

Abstract The chemical interaction of Sn with H 2 by X‐ray diffraction methods at pressures of 180–210 GPa is studied. A previously unknown tetrahydride SnH 4 with a cubic structure ( fcc ) exhibiting superconducting properties below T C = 72 K is obtained; the formation of a high molecular C 2/ m ‐SnH 14 superhydride and several lower hydrides, fcc SnH 2 , and C 2‐Sn 12 H 18 , is also detected. The temperature dependence of critical current density J C (T) in SnH 4 yields the superconducting gap 2Δ(0) = 21.6 meV at 180 GPa. SnH 4 has unusual behavior in strong magnetic fields: B,T ‐linear dependences of magnetoresistance and the upper critical magnetic field B C2 (T) ∝ ( T C – T ). The latter contradicts the Wertheimer–Helfand–Hohenberg model developed for conventional superconductors. Along with this, the temperature dependence of electrical resistance of fcc SnH 4 in non‐superconducting state exhibits a deviation from what is expected for phonon‐mediated scattering described by the Bloch‐Grüneisen model and is beyond the framework of the Fermi liquid theory. Such anomalies occur for many superhydrides, making them much closer to cuprates than previously believed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

30 years of semiconductor nanowire research: A Personal Journey

This project is about flux line pinning in high T c superconductors using columnar defects as the pinning centers. The basic idea is that linear structural defects can pin the flux lines within HTSCs so that their critical current density (the maximal current density that these HTSCs can carry with zero resistance) can be enhanced. The question is how to create such linear structural defects within crystalline cuprate thin films. Scientists have already successfully demonstrated the concept by irradiating HTSC crystals with high-energy ions at synchrotron beamline facilities. However, such heavy ion irradiation is practically not viable for large-scale processes. Finally, we reasoned that maybe we could introduce some sort of linear nanoscopic objects into HTSC to form a composite, and then these linear nanoscopic objects would serve as the magnetic flux line pinning centers.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Probing Perovskite Interfaces and Superlattices with X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy

Complex oxides exhibit an exceedingly wide range of electronic, magnetic and optical properties, giving these materials considerable potential for interesting basic science investigations, as well as possible utility in a range of technological applications. Complex oxides have been vigorously investigated as epitaxial films over the past two decades, in part because of the discovery of high-Tc superconductivity in cuprates . A second reason for this interest is the rich and varied property set, including colossal magnetoresistance , exhibited by the doped manganites, AExRE1-xMnO3, where AE and RE represent alkaline earth and rare earth metals, respectively. The observations of many interesting and often unexpected phenomena have captured the attention and imagination of a growing community of condensed matter scientists who wants to explore the fundamental physics of these materials, as well as novel technological concepts.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2016

A magnetically induced quantum critical point in holography

Here, we investigate quantum critical points in a 2+1 dimensional gauge theory at finite chemical potential χ and magnetic field B. The gravity dual is based on 4D N = 2 Fayet-Iliopoulos gauged supergravity and the solutions we consider — that are constructed analytically — are extremal, dyonic, asymptotically AdS 4 black-branes with a nontrivial radial profile for the scalar field. We discover a line of second order fixed points at B = B c (χ) between the dyonic black brane and an extremal “thermal gas” solution with a singularity of good-type, according to the acceptability criteria of Gubser. The dual field theory is a strongly coupled nonconformal field theory at finite charge and magnetic field, related to the ABJM theory deformed by a triple trace operator Φ 3 . This line of fixed points might be useful in studying the various strongly interacting quantum critical phenomena such as the ones proposed to underlie the cuprate superconductors. We also find curious similarities between the behaviour of the VeV <Φ> under B and that of the quark condensate in 2+1 dimensional NJL models.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Local Noncentrosymmetric Structure of Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8+y} by X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism at Cu K-Edge XANES

The two-dimensional Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8+y} (Bi2212), the most studied prototype cuprate superconductor, is a lamellar system made of a stack of two-dimensional corrugated CuO{sub 2} bilayers separated by Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2+y}Sr{sub 2} O{sub 2} layers. While the large majority of theories, proposed to interpret unconventional high T{sub c} superconductivity in Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8+y}, assume a centrosymmetric tetragonal CuO{sub 2} lattice for the [CuO{sub 2}]Ca[CuO{sub 2}] bilayer, here, we report new compelling results providing evidence for local noncentrosymmetric symmetry at the Cu atom. We have measured polarized Cu K-edge XANES (X-ray absorption near-edge structure) and the K-edge X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) of a Bi2212 single-crystal near-optimum doping. The Cu K-edge XMCD signal was measured at ID12 beamline of ESRF with the k-vector of X-ray beam parallel to c-axis, i.e., with the electric field of X-ray beam E//ab, using a 17-T magnetic field parallel to the c-axis of a Bi2212 single crystal. Numerical simulations of the XMCD signal of Bi2212 by multiple scattering theory have shown agreement with the experimental XMCD signal only for the local structure with noncentrosymmetric Bb2b space group of Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8+y}.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗