Orateur
Description
Experiments on illuminated high-Tc cuprate superconductors (HTS) have revealed that their ground state can be manipulated by photo-induced effects [1]. However, the mechanism underlying both superconductivity and these photo-induced phenomena in HTS remain elusive. An alternative route to better understand the origins of HTS consists in studying analogous systems, such as the recently discovered family of nickelate superconductors [2]. In their reduced infinite-layer (IL) phase, superconducting nickelates thin films are structurally and electronically similar to cuprates [3].
In this poster, I will focus on the light-induced manipulation of the ground state in superconducting IL nickelates thin films [4]. I will first detail the synthesis of Pr0.8Sr0.2𝑁𝑖O2 (PSNO) thin films on (001)-oriented SrTiO3 [5] and then present their structural and electronic characterization. In particular, XRD measurements performed before and after the reduction show a shift of the (002) diffraction peak from 48° to 55°, indicating the expected structural phase transition toward the infinite-layer phase. Meanwhile, reciprocal space mapping (RSM) measurements reveal that the films remain coherently strained to the STO substrate. The obtained films display superconductivity with a critical temperature Tc up to 15K. Preliminary results show photo-induced
effects under and after illumination in PSNO investigated through resistance and Hall measurements.
[1] El Hage, R. et al. Disentangling photodoping, photoconductivity, and photosuperconductivity in the cuprates. Physical Review Letters 132, 066001 (2024).
[2] Li, D. and al. Superconductivity in an infinite-layer nickelate. Nature 572, 624–627 (2019).
[3] Sanchez-Manzano, D. and al. Purely two-dimensional vortex matter in infinite-layer nickelates, arXiv:2410.14341 (2024)
[4] Sanchez-Manzano, D. and al. Giant photoconductance at infinite-layer nickelate/SrTiO3 interfaces via an optically induced high-mobility electron gas. Nat. Mater. 25, 49–57 (2026).
[5] Dongxin, Z. and al. Accessible synthesis of superconducting nickelates via topotactic reduction induced by aluminium sputter deposition. Commun Mater 6, 293 (2025).