Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies of Rare Earth co-doped Lanthanum Cuprates

The work described in this thesis uses oxygen NMR to probe the electronic system of rare earth co-doped La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4, the prototypical high temperature superconducting cuprate (HTSC). Oxygen NMR turns out to be a powerful tool for this purpose. The nucleus is located directly inside the CuO_2 planes. It has a spin of 5/2 and a quadrupole moment and therefore can probe both, interactions with the magnetic hyperfine field as well as interactions through the electric field gradient of the crystal. Furthermore, the spin lattice relaxation time T_1 and the spin spin relaxation time T_2 contain information about the dynamics of these interactions. Such a link between the spin and charge structures in high temperature superconductors has been elusive until today. Instead, there are magnetic probes such as neutron scattering and muSR that provide evidence for a modulation of the spin structure and static magnetic moments, respectively, and charge probes like STM that reveal inhomogeneous doping distributions in the CuO_2 planes. In either case, inhomogeneities in the spin and charge system seem to be typical for HTSCs. Whereas the spin and charge modulations are believed to be dynamic in the superconducting compounds, they become static at low temperatures in Eu doped La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4, where superconductivity is suppressed. As could be demonstrated here, evidence for such a spin and charge separation, that often revealed stunning similarities to the spin ladder compounds, is apparent in almost all measured NMR parameters.In dieser Arbeit werden Sauerstoff NMR Untersuchungen der elektronischen Struktur von Selten-Erd dotiertem La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4, dem prototypischen Hochtemperatursupraleiter (HTSL), vorgestellt. Sauerstoff NMR ist zu diesem Zweck besonders gut geeignet. Der Kern befindet sich innerhalb der Kupferoxid-Ebenen. Er hat einen Spin von 5/2 und ein Quadrupolmoment. Damit lassen sich Wechselwirkungen mit dem magnetischen Hyperfeinfeld der Cu-Atome sowie Wechselwirkungen mit dem elektrischen Feldgradienten des Kristalls untersuchen. Des Weiteren geben die Spin-Gitter-Relaxationszeit T_1 sowie die Spin-Spin-Relaxationszeit T_2 Aufschluss über die Dynamik dieser beiden Wechselwirkungen. Eine Verbindung zwischen der Spin- und Ladungsordnung gibt es in den HTSL bisher nicht. Statt dessen haben magnetische Messmethoden wie Neutronenstreuung oder muSR Aussagen über die magnetische Ordnung geliefert. Unabhängig davon liefern Messmethoden wie STM nur Informationen über eine Ladungsordnung oder inhomogene Ladungsverteilungen. Inhomogenitäten der Spins und Ladungen scheinen aber typisch für die HTSL zu sein. Man vermutet, dass diese Inhomogenitäten dynamisch in den supraleitenden Verbindungen sind, während sie in Eu dotiertem La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 bei tiefen Temperaturen statisch werden und die Supraleitung unterdrücken. In dieser Arbeit wird gezeigt, dass sich diese Ladungs- und Spininhomogenitäten in vielen Parametern der NMR Spektren bemerkbar machen

Cu nuclear magnetic resonance study of charge and spin stripe order in La1.875_{1.875}Ba0.125_{0.125}CuO4_4

We present a Cu nuclear magnetic/quadrupole resonance study of the charge stripe ordered phase of LBCO, with detection of previously unobserved ('wiped-out') signal. We show that spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation rates are strongly enhanced in the charge ordered phase, explaining the apparent signal decrease in earlier investigations. The enhancement is caused by magnetic, rather than charge fluctuations, conclusively confirming the long-suspected assumption that spin fluctuations are responsible for the wipeout effect. Observation of the full Cu signal enables insight into the spin and charge dynamics of the stripe-ordered phase, and measurements in external magnetic fields provide information on the nature and suppression of spin fluctuations associated with charge order. We find glassy spin dynamics, in agreement with previous work, and incommensurate static charge order with charge modulation amplitude similar to other cuprate compounds, suggesting that the amplitude of charge stripes is universal in the cuprates.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Rolled-up self-assembly of compact magnetic inductors, transformers and resonators

Three-dimensional self-assembly of lithographically patterned ultrathin films opens a path to manufacture microelectronic architectures with functionalities and integration schemes not accessible by conventional two-dimensional technologies. Among other microelectronic components, inductances, transformers, antennas and resonators often rely on three-dimensional configurations and interactions with electromagnetic fields requiring exponential fabrication efforts when downscaled to the micrometer range. Here, the controlled self-assembly of functional structures is demonstrated. By rolling-up ultrathin films into cylindrically shaped microelectronic devices we realized electromagnetic resonators, inductive and mutually coupled coils. Electrical performance of these devices is improved purely by transformation of a planar into a cylindrical geometry. This is accompanied by an overall downscaling of the device footprint area by more than 50 times. Application of compact self-assembled microstructures has significant impact on electronics, reducing size, fabrication efforts, and offering a wealth of new features in devices by 3D shaping.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures, 6 supplementary figure

Rolled‐Up Self‐Assembly of Compact Magnetic Inductors, Transformers, and Resonators

3D self-assembly of lithographically patterned ultrathin films opens a path to manufacture microelectronic architectures with functionalities and integration schemes not accessible by conventional 2D technologies. Among other microelectronic components, inductances, transformers, antennas, and resonators often rely on 3D configurations and interactions with electromagnetic fields requiring exponential fabrication efforts when downscaled to the micrometer range. Here, the controlled self-assembly of functional structures is demonstrated. By rolling up ultrathin films into cylindrically shaped microelectronic devices, electromagnetic resonators, inductive and mutually coupled coils are realized. Electrical performance of these devices is improved purely by transformation of a planar into a cylindrical geometry. This is accompanied by an overall downscaling of the device footprint area by more than 50 times. Application of compact self-assembled microstructures has significant impact on electronics, reducing size, fabrication efforts, and offering a wealth of new features in devices by 3D shaping

Li dynamics in carbon-rich polymer-derived SiCN ceramics probed by nuclear magnetic resonance

We report $^{7}$Li, $^{29}$Si, and $^{13}$C NMR studies of two different carbon-rich SiCN ceramics SiCN-1 and SiCN-3 derived from the preceramic polymers polyphenylvinylsilylcarbodiimide and polyphenylvinylsilazane, respectively. From the spectral analysis of the three nuclei at room temperature, we find that only the $^{13}$C spectrum is strongly influenced by Li insertion/extraction, suggesting that carbon phases are the major electrochemically active sites for Li storage. Temperature and Larmor frequency ($\omega_L$) dependences of the $^7$Li linewidth and spin-lattice relaxation rates $T_1^{-1}$ are described by an activated law with the activation energy $E_A$ of 0.31 eV and the correlation time $\tau_0$ in the high temperature limit of 1.3 ps. The $3/2$ power law dependence of $T_1^{-1}$ on $\omega_L$ which deviates from the standard Bloembergen, Purcell, and Pound (BPP) model implies that the Li motion on the $\mu$s timescale is governed by continuum diffusion mechanism rather than jump diffusion. On the other hand, the rotating frame relaxation rate $T_{1\rho}^{-1}$ results suggest that the slow motion of Li on the ms timescale may be affected by complex diffusion and/or non-diffusion processes.Comment: 28 pages with double line spacing, 7 figures and 2 tables, accepted version in Journal of Power Source

Synthesis and Characterization of Oxide Chloride Sr2VO3Cl, a Layered S = 1 Compound

The mixed-anion compound with composition Sr2VO3Cl has been synthesized for the first time, using the conventional high-temperature solid-state synthesis technique in a closed silica ampule under inert conditions. This compound belongs to the known Sr2TmO3Cl (Tm = Sc, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) family, but with Tm = V. All homologues within this family can be described with the tetragonal space group P4/nmm (No. 129); from a Rietveld refinement of powder X-ray diffraction data on the Tm = V homologue, the unit cell parameters were determined to a = 3.95974(8) and c = 14.0660(4) Å, and the atomic parameters in the crystal structure could be estimated. The synthesized powder is black, implying that the compound is a semiconductor. The magnetic investigations suggest that Sr2VO3Cl is a paramagnet at high temperatures, exhibiting a μeff = 2.0 μB V-1 and antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions between the magnetic vanadium spins (θCW = −50 K), in line with the V-O-V advantageous super-exchange paths in the V-O layers. Specific heat capacity studies indicate two small anomalies around 5 and 35 K, which however are not associated with long-range magnetic ordering. 35Cl ss-NMR investigations suggest a slow spin freezing below 4.2 K resulting in a glassy-like spin ground state

Suppression of nematicity by tensile strain in multilayer FeSe/SrTiO3 films

The nematicity in multilayer FeSe/SrTiO3 films has been previously suggested to be enhanced with decreasing film thickness. Motivated by this, there have been many discussions about the competing relation between nematicity and superconductivity. However, the criterion for determining the nematicity strength in FeSe remains highly debated. The understanding of nematicity as well as its relation to superconductivity in FeSe films is therefore still controversial. Here, we fabricate multilayer FeSe/SrTiO3 films using molecular beam epitaxy and study the nematic properties by combining angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, Se77 nuclear magnetic resonance, and scanning tunneling microscopy experiments. We unambiguously demonstrate that, near the interface, the nematic order is suppressed by the SrTiO3-induced tensile strain; in the bulk region further away from the interface, the strength of nematicity recovers to the bulk value. Our results not only solve the recent controversy about the nematicity in multilayer FeSe films, but also offer valuable insights into the relationship between nematicity and superconductivity

Suppression of nematicity by tensile strain in multilayer FeSe/SrTiO3_3 films

The nematicity in multilayer FeSe/SrTiO$_3$ films has been previously suggested to be enhanced with decreasing film thickness. Motivated by this, there have been many discussions about the competing relation between nematicity and superconductivity. However, the criterion for determining the nematicity strength in FeSe remains highly debated. The understanding of nematicity and its relation to superconductivity in FeSe films is therefore still controversial. Here, we fabricate multilayer FeSe/SrTiO$_3$ films using molecular beam epitaxy and study the nematic properties by combining angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and scanning tunneling microscopy experiments. We unambiguously demonstrate that, near the interface, the nematicity is suppressed by the SrTiO$_3$-induced tensile strain; in the bulk region further away from the interface, the strength of nematicity recovers to the bulk value. Our results not only solve the controversy about the nematicity in multilayer FeSe films, but also offer valuable insights into the relationship between nematicity and superconductivity.Comment: 23 pages, 4 figure