Atomic-Layer Engineering of La2-xSrxCuO4—La2-xSrxZnO4 Heterostructures

Xu, Xiaotao; He, Xi; Bollinger, Anthony T.; Shi, Xiaoyan; Božović, Ivan

doi:10.3390/nano13152207

Title: Atomic-Layer Engineering of La_2-xSr_xCuO₄—La_2-xSr_xZnO₄ Heterostructures

Journal Article · 29 July 2023 · Nanomaterials

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13152207 · OSTI ID:2424886

^[1]; He, Xi ^[2];

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^[2]

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX (United States)
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Yale University, New Haven, CT (United States); Yale University, West Haven, CT (United States)
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX (United States)

The fabrication of trilayer superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) Josephson junctions with high-temperature superconductor (HTS) electrodes requires atomically perfect interfaces. Therefore, despite great interest and efforts, this remained a challenge for over three decades. Here, we report the discovery of a new family of metastable materials, La_2-xSr_xZnO₄ (LSZO), synthesized by atomic-layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy (ALL-MBE). We show that LSZO is insulating and epitaxially compatible with an HTS compound, La_2-xSr_xCuO₄ (LSCO). Since the “parent” compound La_2-xSr_xZnO₄ (LZO) is easier to grow, here we focus on this material as our insulating layer. Growing LZO at very low temperatures to reduce cation interdiffusion makes LSCO/LZO interfaces atomically sharp. We show that in LSCO/LZO/LSCO trilayers, the superconducting properties of the LSCO electrodes remain undiminished, unlike in previous attempts with insulator barriers made of other materials. This opens prospects to produce high-quality HTS tunnel junctions.

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Research Organization:: US Department of Energy (USDOE), Washington, DC (United States). Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Sponsoring Organization:: Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s EPiQS Initiative; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division (MSE)

OSTI ID:: 2424886

Journal Information:: Nanomaterials, Journal Name: Nanomaterials Journal Issue: 15 Vol. 13; ISSN 2079-4991

Publisher:: MDPICopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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