Interplay of spin-orbit coupling and trigonal crystal field enhances superconductivity in $LaAlO_3/KTaO_3$ (111)

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cheng, Long, Liu, Jia, Liu, Tongying, Chen, Pan, Zhang, Mingyue, Li, Jiashi, Zhang, Shiyu, Ye, Fei, Wang, Qing, Liu, Weitao, Kang, Jian, Zhang, Jiandi, Zhai, Xiaofang
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866911276593053696
author Cheng, Long
Liu, Jia
Liu, Tongying
Chen, Pan
Zhang, Mingyue
Li, Jiashi
Zhang, Shiyu
Ye, Fei
Wang, Qing
Liu, Weitao
Kang, Jian
Zhang, Jiandi
Zhai, Xiaofang
author_facet Cheng, Long
Liu, Jia
Liu, Tongying
Chen, Pan
Zhang, Mingyue
Li, Jiashi
Zhang, Shiyu
Ye, Fei
Wang, Qing
Liu, Weitao
Kang, Jian
Zhang, Jiandi
Zhai, Xiaofang
contents In conventional superconductors, bulk physical properties typically degrade as the film thickness approaches the two-dimensional (2D) limit. Here in the (111) oriented LaAlO3/KTaO3 (LAO/KTO) heterostructure, we demonstrate experimental evidence that reducing the conducting layer thickness at the interface significantly enhances superconducting transition temperature Tc, in direct contrast to conventional wisdom. From the sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy and superconducting upper-critical field measurements, both the trigonal symmetry and spin orbit scattering are enhanced with the increased Tc. We attribute the enhanced superconductivity (SC) to the synergic interplay between spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and trigonal crystal field, resulting in an enhanced electron-phonon coupling. Furthermore, we show the existence of unconventional SC: the approaching linear temperature dependence of normal state resistance with increasing Tc and the existence of a quantum critical point (QCP) near the superconducting phase. Our findings provide important insight into the underlying mechanism of the strong orientation-dependent KTO interface SC.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_15526
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Interplay of spin-orbit coupling and trigonal crystal field enhances superconductivity in $LaAlO_3/KTaO_3$ (111)
Cheng, Long
Liu, Jia
Liu, Tongying
Chen, Pan
Zhang, Mingyue
Li, Jiashi
Zhang, Shiyu
Ye, Fei
Wang, Qing
Liu, Weitao
Kang, Jian
Zhang, Jiandi
Zhai, Xiaofang
Superconductivity
Materials Science
In conventional superconductors, bulk physical properties typically degrade as the film thickness approaches the two-dimensional (2D) limit. Here in the (111) oriented LaAlO3/KTaO3 (LAO/KTO) heterostructure, we demonstrate experimental evidence that reducing the conducting layer thickness at the interface significantly enhances superconducting transition temperature Tc, in direct contrast to conventional wisdom. From the sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy and superconducting upper-critical field measurements, both the trigonal symmetry and spin orbit scattering are enhanced with the increased Tc. We attribute the enhanced superconductivity (SC) to the synergic interplay between spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and trigonal crystal field, resulting in an enhanced electron-phonon coupling. Furthermore, we show the existence of unconventional SC: the approaching linear temperature dependence of normal state resistance with increasing Tc and the existence of a quantum critical point (QCP) near the superconducting phase. Our findings provide important insight into the underlying mechanism of the strong orientation-dependent KTO interface SC.
title Interplay of spin-orbit coupling and trigonal crystal field enhances superconductivity in $LaAlO_3/KTaO_3$ (111)
topic Superconductivity
Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.15526