Epitaxial Sr2RuO4 thin films grown by pulsed-laser deposition from high-purity (99.98%) Sr2RuO4 targets on (001) LaAlO3 were found to be not superconducting down to 0.4 K. Structural disorder is believed to be responsible. A correlation was observed between higher resistivity ratios in electrical transport measurements and narrower x-ray diffraction rocking curve widths of the Sr2RuO4 films. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that the dominant structural defects, i.e., the defects leading to the observed variation in rocking curve widths in the films, are {011} planar defects, with a spacing comparable to the in-plane superconducting coherence length of Sr2RuO4. These results imply that minimizing structural disorder is the key remaining challenge to achieving superconducting Sr2RuO4 films.

Topics
Superconductivity, Crystallographic defects, Epitaxy, Pulsed laser deposition, Thin films, Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction
1.
Y.
Maeno
,
H.
Hashimoto
,
K.
Yoshida
,
S.
Nishizaki
,
T.
Fujita
,
J. J.
Bednorz
, and
F.
Lichtenberg
,
Nature (London)
372
,
532
(
1994
).
Google Scholar
 
2.
Y.
Maeno
,
T. M.
Rice
, and
M.
Sigrist
,
Phys. Today
54
(
1
),
42
(
2001
).
Google Scholar
 
3.
T. M.
Rice
and
M.
Sigrist
,
J. Phys.: Condens. Matter
7
,
L643
(
1995
).
Google Scholar
 
4.
K.
Ishida
,
Y.
Kitaoka
,
K.
Asayama
,
S.
Ikeda
,
S.
Nishizaki
,
Y.
Maeno
,
K.
Yoshida
, and
T.
Fujita
,
Phys. Rev. B
56
,
R505
(
1997
).
Google Scholar
 
5.
G. M.
Luke
,
Y.
Fudamoto
,
K. M.
Kojima
,
M. I.
Larkin
,
J.
Merrin
,
B.
Nachumi
,
Y. J.
Uemura
,
Y.
Maeno
,
Z. Q.
Mao
,
Y.
Mori
,
H.
Nakamura
, and
M.
Sigrist
,
Nature (London)
194
,
558
(
1998
).
Google Scholar
 
6.
R.
Jin
,
Y.
Zadorozhny
,
Y.
Liu
,
D. G.
Schlom
,
Y.
Mori
, and
Y.
Maeno
,
Phys. Rev. B
59
,
4433
(
1999
).
Google Scholar
 
7.
C. C.
Tsuei
,
J. R.
Kirtley
,
C. C.
Chi
,
L. S.
Yu-Jahnes
,
A.
Gupta
,
T.
Shaw
,
J. Z.
Sun
, and
M. B.
Ketchen
,
Phys. Rev. Lett.
73
,
593
(
1994
).
Google Scholar
 
8.
D. J.
Van Harlingen
,
Rev. Mod. Phys.
67
,
515
(
1995
).
Google Scholar
 
9.
S.
Madhavan
,
D. G.
Schlom
,
A.
Dabkowski
,
H. A.
Dabkowska
, and
Y.
Liu
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
68
,
559
(
1996
).
Google Scholar
 
10.
D. G.
Schlom
,
Y.
Jia
,
L.-N.
Zou
,
J. H.
Haeni
,
S.
Briczinski
,
M. A.
Zurbuchen
,
C. W.
Leitz
,
S.
Madhavan
,
S.
Wozniak
,
Y.
Liu
,
M. E.
Hawley
,
G. W.
Brown
,
A.
Dabkowski
,
H. A.
Dabkowska
,
R.
Uecker
, and
P.
Reiche
, in
Superconducting and Related Oxides: Physics and Nanoengineering III
, edited by
D.
Pavuna
and ,
I.
Bozovic
,
Proc. SPIE
3481
,
226
(
1998
).
11.
S.
Ohashi
,
M.
Lippmaa
,
N.
Nakagawa
,
H.
Nagasawa
,
H.
Koinuma
, and
M.
Kawasaki
,
Rev. Sci. Instrum.
70
,
178
(
1999
).
Google Scholar
 
12.
R.
Gross
,
J.
Klein
,
B.
Wiedenhorst
,
C.
Höfener
,
U.
Schoop
,
J. B.
Philipp
,
M.
Schonecke
,
F.
Herbstritt
,
L.
Alff
,
Y.
Lu
,
A.
Marx
,
S.
Schymon
,
S.
Thienhaus
, and
W.
Mader
, in
Superconducting and Related Oxides: Physics and Nanoengineering IV
, edited by
D.
Pavuna
and ,
I.
Bozovic
,
Proc. SPIE
4058
,
278
(
2000
).
13.
A. P.
Mackenzie
,
R. K. W.
Haselwimmer
,
A. W.
Tyler
,
G. G.
Lonzarich
,
Y.
Mori
,
S.
Nishizaki
, and
Y.
Maeno
,
Phys. Rev. Lett.
80
,
161
(
1998
).
Google Scholar
 
14.
Z. Q.
Mao
,
Y.
Mori
, and
Y.
Maeno
,
Phys. Rev. B
60
,
610
(
1999
).
Google Scholar
 
15.
J. C.
Clark
,
J. P.
Maria
,
K. J.
Hubbard
, and
D. G.
Schlom
,
Rev. Sci. Instrum.
68
,
2538
(
1997
).
Google Scholar
 
16.
XRD indicated the presence of trace amounts of SrRuO3 impurity in two of the films (those indicated by • and ▴) in Figs. 3 and 4.
17.
T.
Akima
,
S.
Nishizaki
, and
Y.
Maeno
,
J. Phys. Soc. Jpn.
68
,
694
(
1999
).
Google Scholar
 
This content is only available via PDF.
© 2001 American Institute of Physics.
2001
American Institute of Physics
You do not currently have access to this content.