Orientation-dependent electron-phonon coupling in interfacial superconductors LaAlO3/KTaO3

Abstract

The emergent superconductivity at the LaAlO3/KTaO3 interfaces exhibits a mysterious dependence on the KTaO3 crystallographic orientations. Here we show, by soft X-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, that the interfacial superconductivity is contributed by mobile electrons with unexpected quasi-three-dimensional character, beyond the "two-dimensional electron gas" scenario in describing oxide interfaces. At differently-oriented interfaces, the quasi-three-dimensional electron gas ubiquitously exists and spatially overlaps with the small q Fuchs-Kliewer surface phonons. Intriguingly, electrons and the Fuchs-Kliewer phonons couple with different strengths depending on the interfacial orientations, and the stronger coupling correlates with the higher superconducting transition temperature. Our results provide a natural explanation for the orientation-dependent superconductivity, and the first evidence that interfacial orientations can affect electron-phonon coupling strength over several nanometers, which may have profound implications for the applications of oxide interfaces in general.

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Cited by in corpus (7)

• Superconducting quantum oscillations and anomalous negative magnetoresistance in a honeycomb nanopatterned oxide interface superconductor
• Unconventional quantum oscillations and evidence of nonparabolic electronic states in quasi-two-dimensional electron system at complex oxide interfaces
• Spin-dependent anisotropic electron-phonon coupling in KTaO${}_3$
• Superconductivity from the Slater mode: Application to KTaO3 heterostructures
• Observation of Quantum-Criticality-Class Crossover at the LaAlO${}_3$/KTaO${}_3$ (111) Interface
• Orientation-dependent superconductivity and electronic structure of the rare-earth metal/KTaO3 interfaces
• Geometric Control of Pairing: Universal Scaling of Superconductivity at KTaO3 Interfaces