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Nethwewala A, Lee H, Li J, Briggeman M, Pai YY, Eom K, Eom CB, Irvin P, Levy J. Electron pairing and nematicity in LaAlO 3/SrTiO 3 nanostructures. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7657. [PMID: 37996464 PMCID: PMC10667274 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43539-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Strongly correlated electronic systems exhibit a wealth of unconventional behavior stemming from strong electron-electron interactions. The LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO) heterostructure supports rich and varied low-temperature transport characteristics including low-density superconductivity, and electron pairing without superconductivity for which the microscopic origins is still not understood. LAO/STO also exhibits inexplicable signatures of electronic nematicity via nonlinear and anomalous Hall effects. Nanoscale control over the conductivity of the LAO/STO interface enables mesoscopic experiments that can probe these effects and address their microscopic origins. Here we report a direct correlation between electron pairing without superconductivity, anomalous Hall effect and electronic nematicity in quasi-1D ballistic nanoscale LAO/STO Hall crosses. The characteristic magnetic field at which the Hall coefficient changes directly coincides with the depairing of non-superconducting pairs showing a strong correlation between the two distinct phenomena. Angle-dependent Hall measurements further reveal an onset of electronic nematicity that again coincides with the electron pairing transition, unveiling a rotational symmetry breaking due to the transition from paired to unpaired phases at the interface. The results presented here highlights the influence of preformed electron pairs on the transport properties of LAO/STO and provide evidence of the elusive pairing "glue" that gives rise to electron pairing in SrTiO3-based systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Nethwewala
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
- Pittsburgh Quantum Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Hyungwoo Lee
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Jianan Li
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
- Pittsburgh Quantum Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Megan Briggeman
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
- Pittsburgh Quantum Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Yun-Yi Pai
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
- Pittsburgh Quantum Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Kitae Eom
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Chang-Beom Eom
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Patrick Irvin
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
- Pittsburgh Quantum Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Jeremy Levy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
- Pittsburgh Quantum Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
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Yue J, Ayino Y, Truttmann TK, Gastiasoro MN, Persky E, Khanukov A, Lee D, Thoutam LR, Kalisky B, Fernandes RM, Pribiag VS, Jalan B. Anomalous transport in high-mobility superconducting SrTiO 3 thin films. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabl5668. [PMID: 35613270 PMCID: PMC9132441 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl5668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The study of subtle effects on transport in semiconductors requires high-quality epitaxial structures with low defect density. Using hybrid molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), SrTiO3 films with a low-temperature mobility exceeding 42,000 cm2 V-1 s-1 at a low carrier density of 3 × 1017 cm-3 were achieved. A sudden and sharp decrease in residual resistivity accompanied by an enhancement in the superconducting transition temperature were observed across the second Lifshitz transition where the third band becomes occupied, revealing dominant intraband scattering. These films further revealed an anomalous behavior in the Hall carrier density as a consequence of the antiferrodistortive (AFD) transition and the temperature dependence of the Hall scattering factor. Using hybrid MBE growth, phenomenological modeling, temperature-dependent transport measurements, and scanning superconducting quantum interference device imaging, we provide critical insights into the important role of inter- versus intraband scattering and of AFD domain walls on normal-state and superconducting properties of SrTiO3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Yue
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Yilikal Ayino
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Tristan K. Truttmann
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Maria N. Gastiasoro
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Eylon Persky
- Department of Physics and Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Alex Khanukov
- Department of Physics and Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Dooyong Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Laxman R. Thoutam
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Beena Kalisky
- Department of Physics and Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Rafael M. Fernandes
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Vlad S. Pribiag
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Bharat Jalan
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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