Possible Nodeless Superconducting Gaps in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ and YBa2Cu3O7−x Revealed by Cross-Sectional Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy**Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the National Key Research and Development Program of China under Grant No 2016YFA0300203.

Abstract

Pairing in the cuprate high-temperature superconductors and its origin remain among the most enduring mysteries in condensed matter physics. With cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy, we clearly reveal the spatial-dependence or inhomogeneity of the superconducting gap structure of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (Bi2212) and YBa2Cu3O7−x (YBCO) along their c-axes on a scale shorter than the interlayer spacing. By tunneling into the (100) plane of a Bi2212 single crystal and a YBCO film, we observe both U-shaped tunneling spectra with extended flat zero-conductance bottoms, and V-shaped gap structures, in different regions of each sample. On the YBCO film, tunneling into a (110) surface only reveals a U-shaped gap without any zero-bias peak. Our analysis suggests that the U-shaped gap is likely a nodeless superconducting gap. The V-shaped gap has a very small amplitude, and is likely proximity-induced by regions having the larger U-shaped gap.