Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy of superconductivity on surfaces of LiTi2O4(111) thin films

Yoshinori Okada (), Yasunobu Ando (), Ryota Shimizu, Emi Minamitani, Susumu Shiraki, Satoshi Watanabe and Taro Hitosugi
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Yoshinori Okada: Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University
Yasunobu Ando: The University of Tokyo
Ryota Shimizu: Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University
Emi Minamitani: The University of Tokyo
Susumu Shiraki: Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University
Satoshi Watanabe: The University of Tokyo
Taro Hitosugi: Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Unique superconductivity at surfaces/interfaces, as exemplified by LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces, and the high transition temperature in ultrathin FeSe films, have triggered intense debates on how superconductivity is affected in atomic and electronic reconstructions. The surface of superconducting cubic spinel oxide LiTi2O4 is another interesting system because its inherent surface electronic and atomic reconstructions add complexity to superconducting properties. Investigations of such surfaces are hampered by the lack of single crystals or high-quality thin films. Here, using low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy, we report an unexpected small superconducting energy gap and a long coherence length on the surface of LiTi2O4(111) epitaxial thin films. Furthermore, we find that a pseudogap opening at the Fermi energy modifies the surface superconductivity. Our results open an avenue for exploring anomalous superconductivity on the surface of cubic transition-metal oxides, where the electronic states are spontaneously modulated involving rich many-body interactions.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15975

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