High Superconducting Transition Temperature Research Articles

Fermion Condensation: Theory and Experiment

Fundamentals of fermion-condensation physics are outlined. Fermion condensation is a phase transition occurring in a strongly correlated Fermi system upon a topological reconstruction of the Landau ground state and leading to the formation of a fermion condensate that possesses the dispersionless single-particle spectrum $$\epsilon({\mathbf{p}})=0$$ in the momentum-space region adjacent to the Fermi surface and, accordingly, an anomalously enhanced density of single-particle states. A original method is developed for solving the set of nonlinear integral equations of fermion-condensation theory. This method makes it possible to analyze the problem of quantum chaos in strongly interacting multifermion systems. The computational technique used is demonstrated by applying it to superdense quark–gluon plasma, where the structure of exchange quark–quark interaction is well known. In electron systems featuring a fermion condensate, the magnitude of the gap appearing in the single-particle spectrum owing to Cooper pairing is shown to be much larger than that in Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) theory. This explains both a high superconducting-transition temperature $$T_{c}$$ and, with allowance for $$C_{4}$$ crystal-lattice symmetry, the $$D$$ -wave pairing-gap structure observed in cuprates. It is found that, in addition to the BCS gap $$\Delta$$ , the spectrum of single-particle excitations of superconducting systems where a fermion condensate is present develops a nonsuperconducting gap $$\Upsilon$$ that owes its existence to the interaction of condensate particles with normal quasiparticles residing outside the condensate region in momentum space. The question of whether these results are pertinent to the two-gap structure recently unearthed in the excitation spectrum of cuprates upon analyzing ARPES data is addressed.

Origin of Optical Transparency in a Transparent Superconductor LiTi2O4

We discuss the transparent conducting mechanism of LiTi2O4. In the Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) framework, achieving a high superconducting transition temperature (Tc) requires high carrier dens...

Exploring High Transition Temperature Superconductivity in a Freestanding or SrTiO_{3}-Supported CoSb Monolayer.

As a two-dimensional entity, FeSe has been widely explored to harbor high transition temperature (high-T_{c}) superconductivity in diverse physical settings; yet to date, the underlying superconducting mechanisms are still under active debate. Here we use first-principles approaches to identify a chemically different yet structurally identical counterpart of FeSe, namely, monolayered CoSb, which is shown to be an attractive candidate to harbor high-T_{c} superconductivity as well. We first show that a freestanding CoSb monolayer can adopt the FeSe-like layered structure, even though its known bulk phase has no resemblance to layering. Next, we demonstrate that such a CoSb monolayer possesses superconducting properties comparable with or superior to FeSe, a striking finding that can be attributed to the isovalency nature of the two systems. More importantly, the layered CoSb structure can be stabilized on SrTiO_{3}(001), offering appealing alternative platforms for realizing high-T_{c} superconductivity beyond the well-established Cu- and Fe-based superconducting families. CoSb/SrTiO_{3}(001) also exhibits distinctly different magnetic properties from FeSe/SrTiO_{3}(001), which should provide a crucial new angle to elucidate the microscopic mechanisms of superconductivity in these and related systems.

Elastic constants of beta tungsten thin films studied by picosecond ultrasonics and density functional theory

Tungsten thin films are used for various applications and sometimes exhibit an A15 structure (β-W). They have some superior properties in comparison to the bcc structure (α-W), such as a higher superconducting transition temperature and larger spin Hall angle. However, elastic constants of β-W are unclear, which restricts mechanical applications and reliable density-functional-theory calculations. In this study, we synthesized α-W, β-W, and mixed-phase W films and determined their elastic constants by picosecond ultrasonics. We also calculated the elastic constants based on density functional theory and reveal that β-W has a larger elastic anisotropy and smaller shear modulus. Our calculation further indicates a stable stacking faulted β-W, which leads to a monoclinic structure.

The local structure of self-doped BiS2-based layered systems as a function of temperature.

We have studied the local structure of layered Eu(La,Ce)FBiS2 compounds by Bi L3-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements as a function of temperature. We find that the BiS2 sub-lattice is largely distorted in EuFBiS2, characterized by two different in-plane Bi-S1 distances. The distortion is marginally affected by partial substitutions of Ce (Eu0.5Ce0.5FBiS2) and La (Eu0.5La0.5FBiS2). The temperature dependence of the local structure distortion reveals an indication of possible charge density wave like instability in the pristine self-doped EuFBiS2 and Ce substituted Eu0.5Ce0.5FBiS2 while it is suppressed in La substituted Eu0.5La0.5FBiS2. In compounds with higher superconducting transition temperature, the axial Bi-S2 bond distance is elongated and the related bond stiffness decreased, suggesting some important role of this in the charge transfer mechanism for self-doping in the active BiS2-layer. In-plane Bi-S1 distances are generally softer than the axial Bi-S2 distance and they suffer further softening by the substitutions. The results are discussed in relation to an important role of the Bi defect chemistry driven asymmetric local environment in the physical properties of these materials.

NbSeTe—a new layered transition metal dichalcogenide superconductor

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) usually exhibit layered polytypic structures due to the weak interlayer coupling. 2H-NbSe2 is one of the most widely studied in the pristine TMDC family due to its high superconducting transition temperature (Tc = 7.3 K) and the occurrence of a charge-density wave (CDW) order below 33 K. The coexistence of CDW with superconductivity poses an intriguing open question about the relationship between Fermi surface nesting and Cooper pairing. Past studies of this issue have mostly been focused on doping 2H-NbSe2 by 3d transition metals without significantly changing its crystal structure. Here we replaced the Se by Te in 2H-NbSe2 in order to design a new 1T polytype layered TMDC NbSeTe, which adopts a trigonal structure with space group Pm1. We successfully grew large size and high-quality single crystals of 1T-NbSeTe via the vapor transport method using I2 as the transport agent. Temperature-dependent resistivity and specific heat data revealed a bulk Tc at 1.3 K, which is the first observation of superconductivity in pure 1T-NbSeTe phase. This compound enlarged the family of superconducting TMDCs and provides an opportunity to study the interplay between CDW and superconductivity in the trigonal structure.

Atom table convolutional neural networks for an accurate prediction of compounds properties

Machine learning techniques are widely used in materials science. However, most of the machine learning models require a lot of prior knowledge to manually construct feature vectors. Here, we develop an atom table convolutional neural networks that only requires the component information to directly learn the experimental properties from the features constructed by itself. For band gap and formation energy prediction, the accuracy of our model exceeds the standard DFT calculations. Besides, through data-enhanced technology, our model not only accurately predicts superconducting transition temperatures, but also distinguishes superconductors and non-superconductors. Utilizing the trained model, we have screened 20 compounds that are potential superconductors with high superconducting transition temperature from the existing database. In addition, from the learned features, we extract the properties of the elements and reproduce the chemical trends. This framework is valuable for high throughput screening and helpful to understand the underlying physics.

Role of atomic coordination on superconducting properties of boron-doped amorphous carbon

We study the effect of atomic coordination (orbital hybridization) on superconducting properties of boron-doped amorphous carbon. The ratio of threefold coordinated ($s{p}^{2}$-hybridized) and fourfold coordinated ($s{p}^{3}$-hybridized) atoms in the system is found to have an impact on their electronic, vibrational, and superconducting properties. Our findings show that a high proportion of fourfold coordination in both carbon and boron atoms is important for realizing a high superconducting transition temperature.

Tuning Y–Ba–Cu–O Focused Helium Ion Beam Josephson Junctions for Use as THz Mixers

We present Josephson junctions fabricated from high transition temperature superconductor YBa <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> Cu <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> O <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">7</sub> coupled to spiral THz antennas. The fabrication process involves creating a Josephson junction at the center of a superconducting bridge embedded into a THz spiral antenna using irradiation from a focused helium ion beam. For low doses of helium irradiation, the junctions have metallic barriers and operate at temperatures as high as 67 K. For higher doses of irradiation, insulator barriers are created. These devices have higher resistance but require cooling to lower temperatures (~10 K) due to smaller critical currents. Through optimization of the dose and by trimming the width of the junctions, we have created high resistance devices to improve the impedance match to a spiral antenna. Under 90-GHz radiation, we observe up to 17 Shapiro steps in the I-V curve out to approximately 3 mV at a temperature of 10 K.

High quality NbTiN films fabrication and rapid thermal annealing investigation**Project supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Strategic Priority Research Program B (Grant No. XDB07010300) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11674376).

NbTiN thin films are good candidates for applications including single-photon detector, kinetic inductance detector, hot electron bolometer, and superconducting quantum computing circuits because of their favorable characteristics, such as good superconducting properties and easy fabrication. In this work, we systematically investigated the growth of high-quality NbTiN films with different thicknesses on Si substrates by reactive DC-magnetron sputtering method. After optimizing the growth conditions, such as the gas pressure, Ar/N2 mixture ratio, and sputtering power, we obtained films with excellent superconducting properties. A high superconducting transition temperature of 15.5 K with narrow transition width of 0.03 K was obtained in a film of 300 nm thickness with surface roughness of less than 0.2 nm. In an ultra-thin film of 5 nm thick, we still obtained a transition temperature of 7.6 K. In addition, rapid thermal annealing (RTA) in atmosphere of nitrogen or nitrogen and hydrogen mixture was studied to improve the film quality. The results showed that Tc and crystal size of the NbTiN films were remarkably increased by RTA. For ultrathin films, the annealing in N2/H2 mixture had better effect than that in pure N2. The Tc of 10 nm films improved from 9.6 K to 10.3 K after RTA in N2/H2 mixture at 450 °C.

Quick suppression of superconductivity of NbSe2 by Rb intercalation

2H-NbSe2, a typical layered transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD), has attracted tremendous research interest for its higher superconducting transition temperature (Tc = 7.2 K) than Tc of other TMDs (2–4 K) and hosting of charge density wave (CDW). The van der Waals (vdW) bonding between NbSe2 layers makes it a good platform for tuning the crystal structure, CDW, and superconducting gap by intercalation. Here we report the crystal structure and superconductivity of Rb-intercalated NbSe2 prepared by solid-state reaction. For Rb intercalation with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.025, there is only one phase with space group P63/mmc. With Rb intercalation, Tc of RbxNbSe2 decreases from 7.2 K for x = 0 to 4.2 K for x = 0.025 in an L-shaped way. The suppression rate of Tc is similar to the one with magnetic Fe doping, but much quicker than those with Li, Ga, and Cu doping. The superconducting phase diagram of RbxNbSe2 is established accordingly and is compared with those of LixNbSe2, CuxNbSe2, FexNbSe2, and GaxNbSe2. The suppression of superconductivity is discussed based on the ionic radius, valence, and magnetism of doping elements and the expansion between the NbSe2 layers.

Comparative study of one-dimensional photonic crystal heterostructure doped with a high and low-transition temperature superconducting for a low-temperature sensor

In this work, we present a theoretical study dealing with the sensitivity to physical parameters such as defect nature and thickness, and temperature. Indeed, the sensitivity considerably enhanced via the use of one-dimensional photonic crystal heterostructure (1D-PCH) which is composed of a few layers of ordinary materials, and superconducting defects. The aim of this paper is to compare the sensitivity of two proposed models consisting of (a) 1D-PCH doped with a high-transition temperature superconductor (Yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO)), and (b) 1D-PCH doped with a low-transition temperature superconductor (niobium nitrure (NbN)). By using the transfer-matrix method (TMM), it has been demonstrated that model (b) is very sensitive compared to model (a). Therefore, the superconducting defect nature on 1D-PCH, using a few layers can play a fundamental role in a very low-temperature sensor.

Superconducting Josephson arrayed vortices for high transition temperature superconductors (HTSCs)

The pinning of the charge-density-wave (CDW) is known to hinder superconductivity, which can essentially be resolved by Josephson tunneling between the nearest vortices in which pinned CDWs are confined within a quantum well. Sliding CDWs with superconducting Josephson tunneling, or Fröhlich CDW superconductivity, can only take place if the mean distance between the vortices is less than one wavelength of the CDW. The observed charge of 2e of the carriers can be satisfied only by the integration of the charge density in the CDW. The pinning energy of the CDW corresponds to a pseudo-gap in high-temperature superconductivity.

Analysis of the microstructure of bulk MgB2 using TEM, EBSD and t-EBSD.

EBSD analysis can provide information about grain orientation, texture and grain boundary misorientation of bulk superconducting MgB2 samples intended for supermagnet applications. However, as the grain size of the MgB2 bulks is preferably in the 100-200 nm range, the common EBSD technique operating in reflection mode works only properly on highly dense samples. In order to achieve reasonably good Kikuchi pattern quality on all types of MgB2 samples, we apply here the newly developed transmission EBSD (t-EBSD) technique to spark-plasma sintered MgB2 samples. This method requires the preparation of TEM slices by means of focused ion-beam milling, which are then analysed within the SEM, operating with a custom-built sample holder. To obtain multiphase scans, we identified the Kikuchi pattern of the MgB4 phase which appears at higher reaction temperatures and may act as additional flux pinning sites. We present here for the first time EBSD mappings of multiple phases, which include MgB2 , MgB4 and MgO. LAY DESCRIPTION: The electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique operating in the scanning electron microscope provides information on the crystallographic orientation the material by recording Kikuchi patterns. In polycrystalline samples, it becomes possible to analyse the orientations of the grains to each other. The metallic superconductor with the currently highest superconducting transition temperature, MgB2 with a Tc of 38.5 K, can be used in applications in polycrystalline form. One such application of interest are trapped field magnets or supermagnets, where the superconductor cooled in an applied magnetic field can trap the magnetic field as vortices at numerous flux pinning sites in the sample. When the external magnetic field is removed, the sample will stay magnetised as long as it is kept cool, and importantly, the trapped magnetic fields can be much higher as for any permanent magnet. However, the small size of the MgB2 grains in the 100-200 nanometre range requires a different approach when using the EBSD technique on such samples. The recently developed EBSD technique working in transmission mode (t-EBSD) helps considerably to image such materials. In this approach, a tiny TEM slice has to be milled out from the original sample by using focused ion beam milling. To understand the properties of the flux pinning in the spark-plasma sintered MgB2 sample, we had to identify the Kikuchi pattern of MgB4 , which is another, non-superconducting phase appearing at higher reaction temperatures required to compact the material. Using this information, we could perform EBSD scans using three different phases, MgB2 , MgB4 and MgO. The EBSD mappings enable to see where the secondary phase particles are located in the sample, and to judge if the particles could work as flux pinning sites.

“Tubular” Lanthanum Hydride: A New Class of High-Temperature Superconducting Materials

Quantum calculations within density functional theory have predicted a new structure of lanthanum hydride La2H24 that is dynamically stable up to pressures about 150 GPa. It is a semimetal and has a low symmetry of crystal lattice $$P\bar{1}$$ . An important feature of this structure is the existence of quasimolecular hydrogen chains, which leads to the presence of phonon frequencies of about 420 meV, exceeding the maximum vibration frequency of the metallic hydrogen Fddd phase (ω ~ 360 meV). These properties make it possible to expect a high superconducting transition temperature for lanthanum hydride La2H24.

Antiadiabatic Phonons, Coulomb Pseudopotential, and Superconductivity in Eliashberg—McMillan Theory

The influence of antiadiabatic phonons on the temperature of superconducting transition is considered within Eliashberg - McMillan approach in the model of discrete set of (optical) phonon frequencies. A general expression for superconducting transition temperature $T_c$ is proposed, which is valid in situation, when one (or several) of such phonons becomes antiadiabatic. We study the contribution of such phonons into the Coulomb pseudopotential $\mu^{\star}$. It is shown, that antiadiabatic phonons do not contribute to Tolmachev's logarithm and its value is determined by partial contributions from adiabatic phonons only. The results obtained are discussed in the context of the problem of unusually high superconducting transition temperature of FeSe monolayer on STO.

Search for near room-temperature superconductivity in B-doped Q-carbon

ABSTRACTWe present 1D, 2D and 3D structures of boron-doped Q-carbon with a higher superconducting transition temperature than the current value of 55 K in 25 at% B-doped amorphous Q-carbon. The higher transition temperature is predicted for 1D and 2D crystalline structures with increasing density of states near the Fermi level through dopant trapping in substitutional sites. We have synthesized 50at% B-doped Q-carbon where diamond tetrahedra are arranged randomly and packed with over 80% efficiency to generate an amorphous structure. Detailed EELS measurements show higher density of states near the Fermi level above 90 K and preliminary transport data show signature of Tc above 100 K.

Higher superconducting transition temperature by breaking the universal pressure relation

By investigating the bulk superconducting state via dc magnetization measurements, we have discovered a common resurgence of the superconducting transition temperatures (Tcs) of the monolayer Bi2Sr2CuO6+δ (Bi2201) and bilayer Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (Bi2212) to beyond the maximum Tcs (Tc-maxs) predicted by the universal relation between Tc and doping (p) or pressure (P) at higher pressures. The Tc of underdoped Bi2201 initially increases from 9.6 K at ambient to a peak at 23 K at 26 GPa and then drops as expected from the universal Tc-P relation. However, at pressures above 40 GPa, Tc rises rapidly without any sign of saturation up to 30 K at 51 GPa. Similarly, the Tc for the slightly overdoped Bi2212 increases after passing a broad valley between 20 and 36 GPa and reaches 90 K without any sign of saturation at 56 GPa. We have, therefore, attributed this Tc resurgence to a possible pressure-induced electronic transition in the cuprate compounds due to a charge transfer between the Cu 3[Formula: see text] and the O 2p bands projected from a hybrid bonding state, leading to an increase of the density of states at the Fermi level, in agreement with our density functional theory calculations. Similar Tc-P behavior has also been reported in the trilayer Br2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+δ (Bi2223). These observations suggest that higher Tcs than those previously reported for the layered cuprate high-temperature superconductors can be achieved by breaking away from the universal Tc-P relation through the application of higher pressures.

Asymmetrically optimized structure in a high-Tc single unit-cell FeSe superconductor

We report asymmetric Se heights in a single unit-cell (UC) FeSe on SrTiO3(0 0 1) substrate with the highest superconducting transition temperature (Tc) among the Fe-based superconductors revealed by total-reflection high-energy positron diffraction measurements. Among various iron-based superconductors, this single UC FeSe on the SrTiO3(0 0 1) has been the best material to achieve the highest-Tc above 50 K. We found the asymmetric Se heights of 1.44 ± 0.03 and 1.33 ± 0.03 Å from the single Fe layer by the intensity analysis based on dynamical diffraction theory. The average Se height results in 1.39 ± 0.04 Å, corresponding to the optimum value for Fe-based superconductors. In addition, the average of bond angles of Se–Fe–Se, 107.2 ± 1.1 and 111.5 ± 1.2° becomes 109.3 ± 1.6°, which is close to the optimum value of 109.5° for a regular tetrahedron. Thus, this single UC FeSe is found to have asymmetrically optimized structure. Based on our first-principles calculations, the asymmetry does not change the bandwidth whereas it splits the electron bands at the M point only at the bottom. These calculations suggest that at low electron doping, the structural asymmetry is expected to lead to exotic properties of non-centrosymmetric superconductivity, whereas after a certain amount of electron doping, average anion height plays an important role for high-Tc.

Effect of pressure on the self-hole-doped superconductor RbGd2Fe4As4O2

RbGd2Fe4As4O2 is a newly discovered self-hole-doped stoichiometric superconductor, which has a hybrid structure with separated double FeAs layers and exhibits a high superconducting transition temperature Tc = 35 K. Here, we report the effect of pressure (P) on its Tc and normal-state transport properties by measuring the temperature dependence of resistivity ρ(T) under various pressures up to 14 GPa with a cubic anvil cell apparatus. We found that the Tc is suppressed monotonically to ca. 12.5 K upon increasing pressure to 14 GPa with a slope change of Tc(P) at around 4 GPa. In addition, the low-temperature normal-state ρ(T), which is proportional to Tn, also evolves gradually from a non-Fermi-liquid with n = 1 at ambient pressure to a Fermi liquid with n = 2 at P ⩾ 4 GPa. Accompanying with the non-Fermi-liquid to Fermi-liquid crossover, the quadratic temperature coefficient of resistivity, which reflects the effective mass of charge carriers, also experiences a significant reduction as commonly observed in the vicinity of a magnetic quantum critical point (QCP). Our results indicate that the stoichiometric RbGd2Fe4As4O2 at ambient pressure might be located near a QCP such that the enhanced critical spin fluctuations lead to high-Tc superconductivity. The application of pressure should broaden the electronic bandwidth and weaken the spin fluctuations, and then restore a Fermi-liquid ground state with lower Tc.