Controlling superconductivity of CeIrIn${}_5$ microstructures by substrate selection

Abstract

Superconductor/metal interfaces are usually fabricated in heterostructures that join these dissimilar materials. A conceptually different approach has recently exploited the strain sensitivity of heavy-fermion superconductors, selectively transforming regions of the crystal into the metallic state by strain gradients. The strain is generated by differential thermal contraction between the sample and the substrate. Here, we present an improved finite-element model that reliably predicts the superconducting transition temperature in CeIrIn${}_5$ even in complex structures. Different substrates are employed to tailor the strain field into the desired shapes. Using this approach, both highly complex and strained as well as strain-free microstructures are fabricated to validate the model. This enables full control over the microscopic strain fields, and forms the basis for more advanced structuring of superconductors as in Josephson junctions.

8 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (6)

• A New Heavy-Fermion Superconductor CeIrIn5: Relative of the Cuprates?
• Piezoelectric-based apparatus for strain tuning
• Spatially modulated heavy-fermion superconductivity in CeIrIn5
• Field induced density wave in the heavy fermion compound CeRhIn5
• Super-geometric electron focusing on the hexagonal Fermi surface of PdCoO${}_2$
• Anisotropic Dependence of Superconductivity on Uniaxial Pressure in CeIrIn5

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Correlated order at the tipping point in the kagome metal CsV${}_3$Sb${}_5$