Coexistence of superconductivity and spin-splitting fields in superconductor/ferromagnetic insulator bilayers of arbitrary thickness
Alberto Hijano, Stefan Ilić, Mikel Rouco, Carmen González-Orellana, Maxim Ilyn, Celia Rogero, P. Virtanen, T. T. Heikkilä, S. Khorshidian, M. Spies, N. Ligato, … 展开作者
Alberto Hijano, Stefan Ilić, Mikel Rouco, Carmen González-Orellana, Maxim Ilyn, Celia Rogero, P. Virtanen, T. T. Heikkilä, S. Khorshidian, M. Spies, N. Ligato, F. Giazotto, E. Strambini, F. Sebastián Bergeret
Ferromagnetic insulators can induce a strong exchange field in an adjacent superconductor via the magnetic proximity effect. This manifests as spin-splitting of the BCS density of states of the superconductor, an important ingredient for numerous superconducting spintronics applications and the realization of Majorana fermions. A crucial parameter that determines the magnitude of the induced spin-splitting in FI/S bilayers is the thickness of the S layer $d$: In very thin samples, the superconductivity is suppressed by the strong magnetism. By contrast, in very thick samples, the spin splitting is absent at distances away from the interface. In this work, we calculate the density of states and critical field of FI/S bilayers of arbitrary thickness. From here, we determine the range of parameters of interest for applications, where the exchange field and superconductivity coexist. We compare our theory with the tunneling spectroscopy measurements in several EuS/Al/AlO$_x$/Al samples. If the Al film in contact with the EuS is thinner than a certain critical value, we do not observe superconductivity, whereas, in thicker samples, we find evidence of a first-order phase transition induced by an external field. The complete transition is preceded by a regime in which normal and superconducting regions coexist. We attribute this mixed phase to inhomogeneities of the Al film thickness and the presence of superparamagnetic grains at the EuS/Al interface with different switching fields. Our results demonstrate on the one hand, the important role of the S layer thickness, which is particularly relevant for the fabrication of high-quality samples suitable for applications. On the other hand, the agreement between theory and experiment demonstrates the accuracy of our theory, which, originally developed for homogeneous situations, is generalized to highly inhomogeneous systems.
A self-doped bilayer t-t'-J model of an electron- and a hole-doped planes is studied by the slave-boson mean-field theory. A hopping integral between the differently doped planes, which are generated by a site potential, are renormalized by the electron-electron correlation. We find coexistent phases of antiferromagnetic (AFM) and superconducting orders, although the magnitudes of order parameters become more dissimilar in the bilayer away from half-filling. Fermi surfaces (FS's) with the AFM order show two pockets around the nodal and the anti-nodal regions. These results look like a composit…
Experimental studies of the electronic structure remain the basic means for understanding the nature of high-temperature superconductivity (HTSC) and testing relevant theoretical models. Appreciable contributions to establish the overall picture in HTSC have recently been made by investigations on the charge dynamics in BSCCO (ref. 1) and the spin dynamics in YBCO, using Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES) and Inelastic Neutron Scattering (INS), respectively. Concentration of each of these techniques on a "suitable" compound turns out to be a barrier on the way to a crucial quant…
We have made an experimental study of the tunneling density of states (DOS) in strong ferromagnetic thin films (CoFe) in proximity with a thick superconducting film (Nb) as a function of $d_F$, the ferromagnetic thickness. Remarkably, we find that as $d_F$ increases, the superconducting DOS exhibits a scaling behavior in which the deviations from the normal-state conductance have a universal shape that decreases exponentially in amplitude with characteristic length $d^*\approx 0.4$ nm. We do not see oscillations in the DOS as a function of $d_F$, as expected from predictions based on the Usade…
We investigate coexistence of antiferromagnetic and superconducting correlations in bilayered materials using a two-dimensional t-J model with couplings across the layers using variational Monte Carlo calculations. It is found that the underdoped regime supports a coexisting phase, beyond which the (d-wave) superconducting state becomes stable. Further, the effects of interplanar coupling parameters on the magnetic and superconducting correlations as a function of hole doping are studied in details. The magnetic correlations are found to diminish with increasing interplanar hopping away from h…
We have studied the behavior of the superconducting critical temperature Tc in $Nb/Co_{60}Fe_{40}$, Nb/Ni, and $Nb/Cu_{40}Ni_{60}$ bilayers as a function of the thickness of each ferromagnetic metal layer. The Tc s of three sets of bilayers exhibit non-monotonic behavior as a function of each ferromagnetic metal thickness. Employing the quantitative analysis based on Usadel formalism of the effect of the exchange energy, we observed that the Tc behavior of $Nb/Co_{60}Fe_{40}$ bilayers is in good agreement with the theoretical values over the entire range of the data. On the other hand, the Tc …
We report the first measurements of the effective superfluid density n_S(T) \propto λ^{-2}(T) of Superconductor-Ferromagnet (SC/FM) bilayers, where λis the effective magnetic field penetration depth. Thin Nb/Ni bilayers were sputtered in ultrahigh vacuum in quick succession onto oxidized Si substrates. Nb layers are 102 A thick for all samples, while Ni thicknesses vary from 0 to 100 A. T_C determined from λ^{-2}(T) decreases rapidly as Ni thickness d_Ni increases from zero to 15 A, then it has a shallow minimum at d_Ni \approx 25 A. λ^{-2}(0) behaves similarly, but has a minimum several times…
The proximity coupled topological insulator / superconductor (TI/SC) bilayer system is a representative system to realize topological superconductivity. In order to better understand this unique state and design devices from the TI/SC bilayer, a comprehensive understanding of the microscopic properties of the bilayer is required. In this work, a microwave Meissner screening study, which exploits a high-precision microwave resonator technique, is conducted on the SmB6/YB6 thin film bilayers as an example TI/SC system. The study reveals spatially dependent electrodynamic screening response of th…
The implementation of an Fe buffer layer is a promising way to obtain epitaxial growth of Co-doped BaFe2As2 (Ba-122). However, the crystalline quality and the superconducting properties of Co-doped Ba-122 are influenced by the Fe buffer layer thickness, dFe. The well-textured growth of the Fe/Ba-122 bilayer with dFe = 15 nm results in a high Jc of 0.45 MAcm$^{-2}$ at 12 K in self-field, whereas a low Jc value of 61000 Acm$^{-2}$ is recorded for the bilayer with dFe = 4 nm at the corresponding reduced temperature due to the presence of grain boundaries.
Point contact spectroscopy measurements have been performed on Nb/PdNi bilayers in which the thickness of the Nb layer, dNb, was kept constant to 40 nm while the thickness of PdNi, dPdNi, was changed from 2 nm to 9 nm. Features related to the superconducting gap induced in the ferromagnet have been observed in the dV/dI versus V curves. These structures show a non-monotonic behaviour as a function of dPdNi as a consequence of the damped oscillatory behaviour of the superconducting order parameter in the ferromagnetic layer.
We present the detailed theoretical study of a heterostructure comprising of two coupled ferromagnetic superconducting layers. Our model may be also applicable to the layered superconductors with alternating interlayer coupling in a parallel magnetic field. It is demonstrated that such systems exhibit a competition between the nonuniform Larkin-Ovchinnikov-Fulde-Ferrel (FFLO) state and the superconducting state where the sign of the superconducting order parameter is opposite in adjacent layers. We determine the complete temperature-field phase diagram both in the cases of low and strong inter…
We calculate current-phase relation (CPR) of a SN-S-SN Josephson junction based on a variable thickness SN bilayer composed of highly disordered superconductor (S) and low-resistive normal metal (N) with proximity induced superconductivity. In case when the thickness of S,N layers and length of S constriction is about of superconducting coherence length the CPR is single-valued, could be close to sinusoidal one and the product $I_cR_n$ can reach $Δ(0)/2|e|$ ($I_c$ is the critical current of the junction, $R_n$ is its normal-state resistance, $Δ(0)$ is the superconductor gap of single S layer a…
Based on the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations, we provide an exact numerical solution for the critical current of Josephson junctions with a composite ferromagnetic bilayer. We demonstrate that for the antiparallel orientation of the magnetic moments of the bilayer, the presence of a potential barrier at the bilayer interface results in large oscillations of the critical current as a function of ferromagnet thickness and/or exchange field. Because of this, and remarkably, in the range of small exchange field and thicknesses, the magnetism leads to the increase of the critical current. This effec…
We studied the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) like state establishing due to the proximity effect in superconducting Nb/Cu41Ni59 bilayers. Using a special wedge-type deposition technique, series of 20-35 samples could be fabricated by magnetron sputtering during one run. The layer thickness of only a few nanometers, the composition of the alloy, and the quality of interfaces were controlled by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Auger spectroscopy. The magnetic properties of the ferromagnetic alloy layer were characterized with…
The theoretical description of the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov like state establishing in nanostructered bilayers of ferromagnetic (F) and superconducting (S) material leads to critical temperature oscillations and reentrant superconductivity as the F-layer thickness gradually increases. The experimental realization of these phenomena is an important prerequisite for the fabrication of the Ferromagnet/Superconductor/Ferromagnet core structure of the superconducting spin-valve. A switching of the spin-valve is only expected if such non-monotonic critical temperature behavior is observed in…
We report the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$ vs. thickness $d_F$ of Ferromagnet/Superconductor (F/S) bilayers, where F is a strong $3d$ ferromagnet (Ni, Ni$_{0.81}$Fe$_{0.19}$ (Permalloy), Co$_{0.5}$Fe$_{0.5}$) and S = Nb, taken from superfluid density measurements rather than resistivity. By regrouping the many physical parameters that appear in theory, we show that the effective exchange energy is determined from the F film thickness $d_F$ where $T_c$ vs. $d_F$ begins to flatten out. Using this rearranged theory we conclude: 1) the effective exchange energy, $E_{ex}$, is about …
We report on the first observation of a pronounced re-entrant superconductivity phenomenon in superconductor/ferromagnetic layered systems. The results were obtained using a superconductor/ferromagnetic-alloy bilayer of Nb/Cu(1-x)Ni(x). The superconducting transition temperature T_{c} drops sharply with increasing thickness d_{CuNi} of the ferromagnetic layer, until complete suppression of superconductivity is observed at d_{CuNi}= 4 nm. Increasing the Cu(1-x)Ni(x) layer thickness further, superconductivity reappears at d_{CuNi}=13 nm. Our experiments give evidence for the pairing function osc…
We study theoretically the magnetic screening properties of thin, diffusive superconductor/ferromagnet bilayers subject to a perpendicular magnetic field. We find that the effective penetration depth characterizing the magnetic response oscillates with the thickness of the ferromagnetic layer on the scale of the ferromagnetic coherence length.
Besides the cuprate superconductors lead-doped barium bismuthate still attracts intense interest concerning its relatively high critical temperature and the nature of its superconductivity in vicinity to a charge density wave ordered topological insulator. Here we present bilayers of barium bismuthate and barium leadate and find two-dimensional superconductivity at their interfaces well described by current-voltage characteristics compatible with a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition. Magneto-transport studies independently prove the two-dimensional character of the superconducting prop…
Proximity coupling and magnetic switching dynamics are shown to be correlated in bilayers (B) of fully spin polarized ferromagnet (F) Co2FeSi and superconductor (S) NbN. The upper critical field derived from resistivity measurements shows a dimensional crossover with a reduced effective thickness of the S layer. At temperatures (T) << superconducting Tc, the measured M-H loops show two step switching; one at T-independent value ~ 7 Oe and other at strongly T-dependent value becoming very large ~ 1 kOe at 2 K. These results reveal induced ferromagnetism in S-layer at the S/F interface with vort…
We demonstrate that thermoelectric currents in superconducting bilayers with a spin-active interface are controlled by the two competing processes. On one hand, spin-sensitive quasiparticle scattering at such interface generates electron-hole imbalance and yields orders-of-magnitude enhancement of the thermoelectric effect in the system. On the other hand, this electron-hole imbalance gets suppressed in the superconductor bulk due to electron scattering on non-magnetic impurities. As a result, large thermoelectric currents can only flow in the vicinity of the spin-active interface and decay aw…
We identify a distinct superconducting phase at the interface of a La$_{1.48}$Nd$_{0.4}$Sr$_{0.12}$CuO$_4$ (LNSCO)/La$_{1.84}$Sr$_{0.16}$CuO$_4$ (LSCO) epitaxial bilayer system using ac screening measurements. A model based on inter-diffusion of quasiparticles and condensate at the interface yields a thickness of $\sim$ 25 nm for the interfacial layer. Two-dimensional superconductivity of the interface layer appears to be governed by Kosterlitz-Thouless-Berezinskii transition. A parallel magnetic field suppresses the superconducting transition temperature of this layer with a pair breaking par…
The experimental realization of cloaks for electromagnetic fields has been possible only in reduced schemes because of extreme material conditions required in exact cloaks. Here we analytically demonstrate that a simple arrangement of two concentric homogeneous and isotropic layers with different permeabilities can keep a uniform externally applied magnetic field unperturbed. If the inner layer is superconducting, the device prevents exterior fields from entering an enclosed region, which represents a case for an exact cloaking of uniform fields. When the applied field is inhomogeneous the clo…
Scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements conducted on epitaxially grown bilayers of half-metallic ferromagnetic La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 (LCMO) on superconducting (SC) (100)YBa2Cu3O7-delta (YBCO) reveal long-range penetration of superconducting order into the LCMO. This anomalous proximity effect manifests itself in the tunneling spectra measured on the LCMO layer as gaps and zero bias conductance peaks. Remarkably, these proximity-induced spectral features were observed for bilayers with LCMO thickness of up to 30 nm, an order of magnitude larger than the expected ferromagnetic coherence length in …
Interface-Confined Superconductivity with Thickness-Independent Superfluid Stiffness in (Pb,Sn)Te/FeTe Bilayers
Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University（宾夕法尼亚州立大学物理系）；Department of Physics, University of Texas at Austin（德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校物理系）；Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science（魏茨曼科学研究所凝聚态物理系）；Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University（宾夕法尼亚州立大学材料研究所）
We have investigated the proximity effect between a superconductor (Nb) and a 'Heavy Fermion' system (CeCu_6) by measuring critical temperatures $T_c$ and parallel critical fields H_{c2}^{\parallel}(T) of Nb films with varying thickness deposited on 75 nm thick films of CeCu_6, and comparing the results with the behavior of similar films deposited on the normal metal Cu. For Nb on CeCu_6 we find a strong decrease of T_c with decreasing Nb thickness and a finite critical thickness of the order of 10 nm. Also, dimensional crossovers in H_{c2}^{\parallel}(T) are completely absent, in strong contr…
A more extended low density region of coexisting uniform antiferromagnetism and d-wave superconductivity has been reported in multilayer cuprates, when compared to single or bilayer cuprates. This coexistence could be due to the enhanced screening of random potential modulations in inner layers or to the interlayer Heisenberg and Josephson couplings. A theoretical analysis using a renormalized mean field theory, favors the former explanation. The potential for an improved determination of the antiferromagnetic and superconducting order parameters in an ideal single layer from zero field NMR an…
We analyze the enhancement of the superconducting critical temperature of superconducting/ferromagnetic bilayers due to the appearance of localized superconducting states in the vicinity of magnetic domain walls in the ferromagnet. We consider the case when the main mechanism of the superconductivity destruction via the proximity effect is the exchange field. We demonstrate that the influence of the domain walls on the superconducting properties of the bilayer may be quite strong if the domain wall thickness is of the order of superconducting coherence length.
Superconductor/ferromagnet bilayers are known to exhibit nontrivial dependence of the critical temperature T_c on the thickness d_f of the ferromagnetic layer. We develop a general method for investigation of T_c as a function of the bilayer's parameters. It is shown that interference of quasiparticles makes T_c(d_f) a nonmonotonic function. The results are in good agreement with experiment. Our method also applies to multilayered structures.
We realized point contact spectroscopy experiment on ferromagnet/superconductor bilayers. Differential conductance curves show several features that we explained within Bogoliubov-de Gennes formalism considering the presence of two interfaces in the normal-metal-tip/ferromagnet/superconductor device. We demonstrate that such configuration is suitable as local probe of the spin polarization and thickness of ferromagnetic layer, directly on bilayer areas. This is due to the high sensitivity of the Andreev surface states to the physical properties of the ferromagnetic interlayer.
We report detailed studies on ferromagnet--superconductor bilayer structures. Epitaxial bilayer structures of half metal--colossal magnetoresistive La$_{\mathrm{2/3}}$Ca$_{\mathrm{1/3}}$MnO$_{\mathrm{3}}$ (HM--CMR) and high--$T_{\mathrm{c}}$ superconducting YBa$_{\mathrm{2}}$Cu$_{\mathrm{3}}$O$_{\mathrm{7-δ}}$(HTSC) are grown on SrTiO$_3$ (100) single--crystalline substrates using pulsed laser deposition. Magnetization $M$(T) measurements show the coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity in these structures at low temperatures. Using the HM--CMR layer as an electrode for spin polari…
Orbital-Selective Coexistence of Interlayer Spin-Singlet Formation and SDW Order with Anomalous Spin Reconfiguration in Bilayer Nickelate La$_{3}$Ni$_{2}$O$_{7}$ Revealed by $^{17}$O-NMR
The University of Osaka（大阪大学）；The University of Tokyo（东京大学）；National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)（国立材料研究所）
We study the spin-fluctuation-mediated $s\pm$-wave superconductivity in the bilayer Hubbard model with vertical and diagonal interlayer hoppings. As in the two-leg ladder model with diagonal hoppings, studied previously by the present authors, superconductivity is strongly enhanced when one of the bands lies just below (or touches) the Fermi level, that is, when the band is incipient. The strong enhancement of superconductivity is because large weight of the spin fluctuations lies in an appropriate energy range, whereas the low energy, pair-breaking spin fluctuations are suppressed. The optimi…
