Open AccessAtomic Stripe Formation in Infinite-Layer Cuprates
Author(s) -
Yoshiharu Krockenberger,
Ai Ikeda,
Hideki Yamamoto
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
acs omega
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.779
H-Index - 40
ISSN - 2470-1343
DOI - 10.1021/acsomega.1c01720
Subject(s) - cuprate , superconductivity , condensed matter physics , phase (matter) , bond length , planar , scanning transmission electron microscopy , transmission electron microscopy , copper , epitaxy , crystallography , layer (electronics) , materials science , chemistry , molecular physics , physics , crystal structure , nanotechnology , computer graphics (images) , organic chemistry , computer science , metallurgy
High-temperature superconductivity appears in cuprate materials that have been tuned in a way where the copper-oxygen bond configuration and coordination is in a state of minimal energy. In competition with the Jahn-Teller effect, which impedes the formation of infinitely connected CuO 2 planes, the state of minimal energy persists for planar copper-oxygen bond length variations of up to 10%. We have synthesized the infinite-layer phases of CaCuO 2 and SrCuO 2 as single-crystalline films using molecular beam epitaxy and performed in-plane scanning transmission electron microscopy mapping. For the infinite-layer phase of CaCuO 2 with a short Cu-O bond length, the CuO 2 planes maintain their minimal energy by forming distinguished atomic stripes. In contrast, atomic stripe formation does not occur in the infinite-layer phase of SrCuO 2 , which has a larger Cu-O bond length. The polar field provided by the charge reservoir layer in cuprates with infinitely connected CuO 2 planes holds the key over the emergence of superconductivity and is vital to maintain infinitely connected CuO 2 planes themselves.