Enhanced Superconductivity at Quantum-Critical KTaO<sub>3</sub> Interface
ORAL
Abstract
Superconductivity at oxide interfaces has intrigued researchers for decades, yet the underlying pairing mechanism remains elusive. Here we demonstrate that proximity to a ferroelectric quantum critical point dramatically enhances interfacial superconductivity in KTaO3. By precisely tuning KTaO3 to its quantum critical composition through 0.8% niobium doping, we achieve a near-doubling of the superconducting transition temperature, reaching 2.9 K. Remarkably, a dome-shaped carrier density dependence emerges exclusively at the quantum critical point, contrasting sharply with the linear scaling observed in undoped interfaces. Our findings establish ferroelectric quantum criticality as a powerful mechanism for enhancing superconductivity and provide compelling evidence for soft-phonon-mediated pairing in these systems.
*Thin film synthesis at the University of Wisconsin–Madison was supported by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES), under award number DE-FG02-06ER46327. C.B.E. acknowledges support for this research through a Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (ONR N00014-20-1-2844), and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s EPiQS Initiative, Grant GBMF9065. J.L. acknowledges NSF (DMR-2225888). Both C.B.E. and J.L. acknowledge ONR MURI (N00014-21-1-2537).Keywords: Superconductivity, Two-dimensional Electron Gas, Quantum Critical Point, Electronic-grade Epitaxial Heterostructure.
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Presenters
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Jiangfeng Yang
- University of Wisconsin - Madison