Carrier concentration-tuned phase transitions in high-Tc cuprates and perovskite oxide interfaces

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Self-passivated freestanding superconducting oxide film for flexible electronics

The integration of high-temperature superconducting YBa2Cu3O6+x (YBCO) into flexible electronic devices has the potential to revolutionize the technology industry. The effective preparation of high-quality flexible YBCO films therefore plays a key role in this development. We present a novel approach for transferring water-sensitive YBCO films onto flexible substrates without any buffer layer. Freestanding YBCO film on a polydimethylsiloxane substrate is extracted by etching the Sr3Al2O6 sacrificial layer from the LaAlO3 substrate. In addition to the obtained freestanding YBCO thin film having a Tc of 89.1 K, the freestanding YBCO thin films under inward and outward bending conditions have Tc of 89.6 K and 88.9 K, respectively. A comprehensive characterization involving multiple experimental techniques including high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy is conducted to investigate the morphology, structural and electronic properties of the YBCO film before and after the extraction process where it shows the preservation of the structural and superconductive properties of the freestanding YBCO virtually in its pristine state. Further investigation reveals the formation of a YBCO passivated layer serves as a protective layer which effectively preserves the inner section of the freestanding YBCO during the etching process. This work plays a key role in actualizing the fabrication of flexible oxide thin films and opens up new possibilities for a diverse range of device applications involving thin-films and low-dimensional materials.Comment: 22 pages,4 figures,references adde

Unconventional quantum oscillations and evidence of non-trivial electronic states in quasi-two-dimensional electron system at complex oxide interfaces

The simultaneous occurrence of electric-field controlled superconductivity and spin-orbit interaction makes two-dimensional electron systems (2DES) constructed from perovskite transition metal oxides promising candidates for the next generation of spintronics and quantum computing. It is, however, essential to understand the electronic bands thoroughly and verify the predicted electronic states experimentally in these 2DES to advance technological applications. Here, we present novel insights into the electronic states of the 2DES at oxide interfaces through comprehensive investigations of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in two different systems: EuO/KTaO$_3$ (EuO/KTO) and LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ (LAO/STO). To accurately resolve these oscillations, we conducted transport measurements in high magnetic fields up to 60 T and low temperatures down to 100 mK. For 2D confined electrons at both interfaces, we observed a progressive increase of oscillations frequency and cyclotron mass with the magnetic field. We interpret these intriguing findings by considering the existence of non-trivial electronic bands, for which the $E-k$ dispersion incorporates both linear and parabolic dispersion relations. In addition to providing experimental evidence for topological-like electronic states in KTO-2DES and STO-2DES, the unconventional oscillations presented in this study establish a new paradigm for quantum oscillations in 2DES based on perovskite transition metal oxides, where the oscillations frequency exhibits quadratic dependence on the magnetic field

Competition of electronic correlation and reconstruction in La1-xSrxTiO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures

Electronic correlation and reconstruction are two important factors that play a critical role in shaping the magnetic and electronic properties of correlated low-dimensional systems. Here, we report a competition between the electronic correlation and structural reconstruction in La1-xSrxTiO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures by modulating material polarity and interfacial strain, respectively. The heterostructures exhibit a critical thickness (tc) at which a metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) abruptly occurs at certain thickness, accompanied by the coexistence of two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) carriers. Intriguingly, the tc exhibits a V-shaped dependence on the doping concentration of Sr, with the smallest tc value at x = 0.5. We attribute this V-shaped dependence to the competition between the electronic reconstruction (modulated by the polarity) and the electronic correlation (modulated by strain), which are borne out by the experimental results, including strain-dependent electronic properties and the evolution of 2D and 3D carriers. Our findings underscore the significance of the interplay between electronic reconstruction and correlation in the realization and utilization of emergent electronic functionalities in low-dimensional correlated systems

Optical Properties of Superconducting Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2 Nickelate

The intensive search for alternative non-cuprate high-transition-temperature ($T_c$) superconductors has taken a positive turn recently with the discovery of superconductivity in infinite layer nickelates. This discovery is expected to be the basis for disentangling the puzzle behind the physics of high $T_c$ in oxides. In the unsolved quest for the physical conditions necessary for inducing superconductivity, we report an optical study of a Nd$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_2$ film measured using optical spectroscopy, at temperatures above and below the critical temperature $T_c\sim 13$ K. The normal-state electrodynamics of Nd$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_2$, is described by the Drude model characterized by a scattering time just above $T_c$ ($\tau \sim 1.7\times 10^{-14}$ s) and a plasma frequency $\omega_p = 8500$ cm$^{-1}$ in combination with an absorption band in the Mid-Infrared (MIR) around $\omega_0 \sim 4000$ cm$^{-1}$. The MIR absorption indicates the presence of strong electronic correlation effect in the NiO$_2$ plane similarly to cuprates. Below $T_c$, a superconducting energy gap ($2\Delta$) of $\sim 3.2$ meV is extracted from the Terahertz reflectivity using the the Mattis-Bardeen model. From the Ferrel-Glover-Thinkam Rule applied to the real part of the optical conductivity, we also estimate a London penetration depth of about 490 nm, in agreement with a type-II superconductivity in Nd$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_2$ Nickelate