Strong pinning and slow flux creep relaxation in Co-doped CaFe2As2 single crystals

Haberkorn, N.; Suárez, S.; Bud'ko, S. L.; Canfield, P. C.

doi:10.1016/j.ssc.2020.113963

Title: Strong pinning and slow flux creep relaxation in Co-doped CaFe₂As₂ single crystals

Journal Article · Tue May 26 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · Solid State Communications

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssc.2020.113963· OSTI ID:1631999

Haberkorn, N. ^[1]; Suárez, S. ^[1]; Bud'ko, S. L. ^[2]; Canfield, P. C. ^[2]

Univ. Nacional de Cuyo, CNEA and Consejo de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnicas, Bariloche, RN, Argentina. Centro Atomico Bariloche and Inst. Balseiro
Ames Lab., Ames, IA (United States); Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

In this paper we report on measurements of critical current densities J_c and flux creep rates S of freestanding Ca(Fe_1–xCo_x)₂As₂ (x ≈ 0.033) single crystals with T_c ≈ 15.7 K by performing magnetization measurements. The magnetic field dependences of J_c at low temperature display features related to strong pinning. In addition, we find that the system displays small flux creep rates. The characteristic glassy exponent, μ, and the pinning energy, U₀, display exceptional high values for pristine crystals. We find that for magnetic fields between 0.3 T and 1 T, μ decreases from ≈ 2.8 to ≈ 2 and U₀ remains ≈ 300 K. Analysis of the pinning force indicates that the mechanism is similar to the observed in polycrystalline systems in which grain boundaries and random disorder produce the vortex pinning. Considering the large U₀ observed in the single crystal, we attempt to improve the pinning by adding random point disorder by 3 MeV proton irradiation with a fluence of 2 × 10¹⁶ proton/cm². The results show that, unlike other iron-based superconductors, the superconducting fraction is sharply reduced by irradiation. This fact indicates that the superconductivity in the system is extremely fragile to an increment in the disorder. The superconducting volume fraction in the irradiated crystal systematically recovers after removal disorder by thermal annealing, which evidences as to the observation of critical state in curves of magnetization versus magnetic field. No features related to a reentrant antiferromagnetic transition are observed for the irradiated sample.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

View Accepted Manuscript (Publisher)

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: Ames Laboratory (AMES), Ames, IA (United States); Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-07CH11358

OSTI ID:: 1631999

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1631908

Report Number(s):: IS-J-10,231; TRN: US2201054

Journal Information:: Solid State Communications, Vol. 318, Issue C; ISSN 0038-1098

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (32)

Effects of particle irradiations on vortex states in iron-based superconductors Tamegai, Tsuyoshi; Taen, Toshihiro; Yagyuda, Hidenori Superconductor Science and Technology, Vol. 25, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-2048/25/8/084008	journal	July 2012
Magnetization of High-Field Superconductors Bean, Charles P. Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol. 36, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.36.31	journal	January 1964
Flux pinning mechanisms in type II superconductors Dew-Hughes, D. Philosophical Magazine, Vol. 30, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1080/14786439808206556	journal	August 1974
Imaging of super-fast dynamics and flow instabilities of superconducting vortices Embon, L.; Anahory, Y.; Jelić, Ž. L. Nature Communications, Vol. 8, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00089-3	journal	July 2017
Vortices in high-performance high-temperature superconductors Kwok, Wai-Kwong; Welp, Ulrich; Glatz, Andreas Reports on Progress in Physics, Vol. 79, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/79/11/116501	journal	September 2016
Dependence of flux-creep activation energy upon current density in grain-aligned ${YBa}_{2}$ ${Cu}_{3}$ $O_{7 - x}$ Maley, M. P.; Willis, J. O.; Lessure, H. Physical Review B, Vol. 42, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.42.2639	journal	August 1990
Flux-creep studies of vortex pinning in an aligned ${YBa}_{2}$ ${Cu}_{3}$ $O_{7 - δ}$ superconductor with oxygen deficiencies δ≤0.2 Ossandon, J. G.; Thompson, J. R.; Christen, D. K. Physical Review B, Vol. 46, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.46.3050	journal	August 1992
Strong pinning in high-temperature superconducting films van der Beek, C. J.; Konczykowski, M.; Abal’oshev, A. Physical Review B, Vol. 66, Issue 2, Article No. 024523 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.66.024523	journal	July 2002
Increment of the collective pinning energy in Na _{1 − x} Ca _x Fe ₂ As ₂ single crystals with random point defects introduced by proton irradiation Haberkorn, N.; Kim, Jeehoon; Maiorov, B. Superconductor Science and Technology, Vol. 27, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-2048/27/9/095004	journal	August 2014
Stabilization of an ambient-pressure collapsed tetragonal phase in CaFe $_{2}$ As $_{2}$ and tuning of the orthorhombic-antiferromagnetic transition temperature by over 70 K via control of nanoscale precipitates Ran, S.; Bud’ko, S. L.; Pratt, D. K. Physical Review B, Vol. 83, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.83.144517	journal	April 2011
Hydrostatic-pressure tuning of magnetic, nonmagnetic, and superconducting states in annealed Ca(Fe $_{1 - x}$ Co $_{x}$ ) $_{2}$ As $_{2}$ Gati, E.; Köhler, S.; Guterding, D. Physical Review B, Vol. 86, Issue 22 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.86.220511	journal	December 2012
Vortices in high-temperature superconductors Blatter, G.; Feigel'man, M. V.; Geshkenbein, V. B. Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol. 66, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.66.1125	journal	October 1994
Magnetization of Hard Superconductors Bean, C. P. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 8, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.8.250	journal	March 1962
Probing dynamics and pinning of single vortices in superconductors at nanometer scales Embon, L.; Anahory, Y.; Suhov, A. Scientific Reports, Vol. 5, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/srep07598	journal	January 2015
Decoupling of the superconducting and magnetic/structural phase transitions in electron-doped ${BaFe}_{2} {As}_{2}$ Canfield, P. C.; Bud’ko, S. L.; Ni, Ni Physical Review B, Vol. 80, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.80.060501	journal	August 2009
Strongly enhanced flux pinning in one-step deposition of BaFe2(As0.66P0.33)2 superconductor films with uniformly dispersed BaZrO3 nanoparticles Miura, Masashi; Maiorov, Boris; Kato, Takeharu Nature Communications, Vol. 4, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms3499	journal	September 2013
Temperature and time scaling of the peak-effect vortex configuration in FeTe $_{0.7}$ Se $_{0.3}$ Bonura, Marco; Giannini, Enrico; Viennois, Romain Physical Review B, Vol. 85, Issue 13 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.85.134532	journal	April 2012
Evidence for Diverging Barriers in the Disordered Vortex Solid in the $(K, B a) {BiO}_{3}$ Superconducting Oxide Joumard, I.; Klein, T.; Marcus, J. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 87, Issue 16 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.167002	journal	September 2001
Strain scaling law for flux pinning in practical superconductors. Part 1: Basic relationship and application to Nb3Sn conductors Ekin, J. W. Cryogenics, Vol. 20, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1016/0011-2275(80)90191-5	journal	November 1980
Phase diagram of the iron arsenide superconductors Ca(Fe $_{1 - x}$ Co $_{x}$ ) $_{2}$ As $_{2}$ ( $0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.2$ ) Harnagea, L.; Singh, S.; Friemel, G. Physical Review B, Vol. 83, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.83.094523	journal	March 2011
Nernst effect in single crystals of the pnictide superconductor ${CaFe}_{1.92} {Co}_{0.08} {As}_{2}$ and parent compound ${CaFe}_{2} {As}_{2}$ Matusiak, Marcin; Bukowski, Zbigniew; Karpinski, Janusz Physical Review B, Vol. 81, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.81.020510	journal	January 2010
Magnetic relaxation and collective vortex creep in FeTe _0.6 Se _0.4 single crystal Sun, Yue; Taen, Toshihiro; Tsuchiya, Yuji EPL (Europhysics Letters), Vol. 103, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/103/57013	journal	September 2013
Scaling laws for flux pinning in hard superconductors Kramer, Edward J. Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 44, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1662353	journal	March 1973
Plastic Vortex Creep in ${YBa}_{2} {Cu}_{3} O_{7 - x}$ Crystals Abulafia, Y.; Shaulov, A.; Wolfus, Y. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 77, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.77.1596	journal	August 1996
Vortex dynamics in phase separated Tl0.58Rb0.42Fe1.72Se2 crystals Haberkorn, N.; Troiani, H.; Condó, A. M. Solid State Communications, Vol. 247 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssc.2016.08.022	journal	December 2016
Relaxation and anomalous T - and H -dependence of the μ coefficient in (K,Ba)BiO ₃ superconductors Klein, T.; Harneit, W.; Joumard, I. Europhysics Letters (EPL), Vol. 42, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1209/epl/i1998-00555-0	journal	April 1998
Pinning force scaling analysis of Fe-based high-Tc superconductors Koblischka, Michael R.; Muralidhar, Miryala International Journal of Modern Physics B, Vol. 30, Issue 32 https://doi.org/10.1142/S0217979216300176	journal	December 2016
Evidence for mean free path fluctuation induced pinning in ${YBa}_{2}$ ${Cu}_{3}$ $O_{7}$ and ${YBa}_{2}$ ${Cu}_{4}$ $O_{8}$ films Griessen, R.; van Dalen, A. J. J. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 72, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.72.1910	journal	March 1994
Control of magnetic, nonmagnetic, and superconducting states in annealed Ca(Fe $_{1 - x}$ Co $_{x}$ ) $_{2}$ As $_{2}$ Ran, S.; Bud'ko, S. L.; Straszheim, W. E. Physical Review B, Vol. 85, Issue 22 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.85.224528	journal	June 2012
Radiation effects on iron-based superconductors Eisterer, M. Superconductor Science and Technology, Vol. 31, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6668/aa9882	journal	December 2017
Optimization of Nb ₃ Sn and MgB ₂ wires Flükiger, R.; Senatore, C.; Cesaretti, M. Superconductor Science and Technology, Vol. 21, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-2048/21/5/054015	journal	March 2008
Effect of Biaxial Strain on the Phase Transitions of $Ca ({Fe}_{1 - x} {Co}_{x})_{2} {As}_{2}$ Böhmer, A. E.; Sapkota, A.; Kreyssig, A. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 118, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.107002	journal	March 2017

Similar Records

Enhancement of critical current density in CaKFe₄As₄ single crystals through 3 MeV proton irradiation

Journal Article · Tue Jan 07 00:00:00 EST 2020 · Superconductor Science and Technology · OSTI ID:1631999

Haberkorn, N.; Xu, M.; Meier, W. R.; +3 more

Effect of Ni doping on vortex pinning in

CaK {(F e_{1 - x} N i_{x})}_{4} A s_{4}

single crystals

Journal Article · Wed Aug 28 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Physical Review B · OSTI ID:1631999

Haberkorn, N.; Xu, M.; Meier, W. R.; +3 more

Effects of proton irradiation on flux-pinning properties of underdoped Ba(Fe_0.96Co_0.04)₂As₂ pnictide superconductor

Journal Article · Thu Oct 13 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Journal of Alloys and Compounds · OSTI ID:1631999

Salem-Sugui, S.; Moseley, D.; Stuard, S. J.; +4 more

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
Iron based superconductors
Single crystals
Vortex dynamics
Magnetization

Title: Strong pinning and slow flux creep relaxation in Co-doped CaFe2As2 single crystals

Citation Formats

References (32)

Similar Records

Related Subjects

Title: Strong pinning and slow flux creep relaxation in Co-doped CaFe₂As₂ single crystals