Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2304.01444

Superconductivity in Ternary Scandium Telluride Sc6MTe2 with 3d, 4d, and 5d Transition Metals

Yusaku Shinoda·Yoshihiko Okamoto·Youichi Yamakawa·Haruka Matsumoto·Daigorou Hirai·Koshi Takenaka
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

We report the discovery of bulk superconductivity in Sc6MTe2 with seven kinds of transition-metal elements M. The critical temperatures for M = 3d elements are higher than those for 4d and 5d elements and increase in the order of M = Ni, Co, and Fe with the highest Tc of 4.7 K in Sc6FeTe2. First principles calculations indicate the presence of significant contribution of Fe 3d orbitals at the Fermi energy, which most likely enhance the Tc of Sc6FeTe2. The upper critical field for M = Os is considerably enhanced by the strong spin-orbit coupling. These results show Sc6MTe2 to constitute a unique family of d-electron superconductors, in which d electrons of 3d and 5d M atoms strongly influence the superconducting properties.

Explore related subjects

cond-mat.supr-con

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Yusaku Shinoda, Yoshihiko Okamoto, Youichi Yamakawa, Haruka Matsumoto, Daigorou Hirai, Koshi Takenaka. 2023-08-31. Superconductivity in Ternary Scandium Telluride Sc6MTe2 with 3d, 4d, and 5d Transition Metals. https://doi.org/10.7566/jpsj.92.103701

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

A universal low-temperature fluctuation of unconventional superconductivity revealed: Smoking gun favors Galilean bosonic superfluidity

Low-temperature thermal fluctuations offer an essential window in characterizing the true nature of a quantum state of matter, a quintessential example being Fermi liquid theory. In the long-standing pursuit toward a fundamental understanding of unconventional superconductivity, the most essential low-temperature thermal fluctuation of superfluidity has unfortunately been greatly overlooked. Here, we examine the leading thermal fluctuation of the superfluid density across numerous families ranging from relatively conventional to highly unconventional superconductors (MgB$_2$, bismuthates, doped buckyballs, heavy fermions, UTe$_2$, doped SrTiO$_3$, Chevrel clusters, intermetallics, $κ$-organics, transition metal dichalcogenides, ruthenates, iron-pnictides, cuprates, and kagome metals). Amazingly, in all of them an unprecedented universal $T^3$ depletion materializes in the low-temperature superfluid density, even in the believed-to-be-conventional MgB$_2$. This reveals a new quantum superfluid state of matter and requires a necessary change of paradigm in describing these modern superconductors. We demonstrate that such an unorthodox yet generic behavior can be described by a Galilean invariant theory of hydrodynamic superfluidity hosting a long-lived `true condensate'.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2026

Unconventional superconductivity in locally non-centrosymmetric CeNi$_2$As$_2$

Recent years have seen intense research on heavy fermion superconductivity, inspired by the discovery of multiple superconducting phases in UTe$_\text{2}$ and CeRh$_\text{2}$As$_\text{2}$. In the latter material, two superconducting phases observed under applied magnetic field oriented along the crystallographic $\textit{c}$ direction are associated with local inversion symmetry breaking. To advance understanding of these phenomena, it is highly desirable to find further examples of heavy fermion superconductivity in materials with locally non-centrosymmetric structure. We have succeeded in this quest, by growing single crystals of the CaBe$_\text{2}$Ge$_\text{2}$ isomorph of CeNi$_\text{2}$As$_\text{2}$. The resulting superconductivity brings more than we had foreseen. In addition to providing the opportunity to compare and contrast with that of CeRh$_\text{2}$As$_\text{2}$, the condensation occurs from an incoherent normal state quantitatively similar to that of UBe$_\text{13}$. Our findings therefore raise profound questions not just about superconductivity in the locally non-centrosymmetric structures, but about unconventional superconductivity itself.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2026

Low-Temperature Stabilization of $δ$-NbN Superconducting Thin Films through Energy-Selective Ion Beam Sputtering

Achieving high-quality superconducting thin films at low temperatures is a central challenge for scalable quantum device integration and Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible fabrication. Here, we demonstrate a room-temperature magnetron sputtering approach for synthesizing niobium nitride (NbN) thin films using a novel energy-selective ion source that enables independent control of ion energy and ion flux. This capability provides a powerful route to precisely tailor surface kinetics and crystallization pathways, overcoming longstanding limitations in stabilizing high-quality NbN at reduced temperatures. The resulting films were characterized by superconducting transport measurements, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Compared with conventional reactive sputtering, ion beam-assisted growth yields a substantial narrowing of the transition width at the superconducting temperature, indicating improved phase purity and electronic homogeneity. Furthermore, this work introduces energy-selective ion control as a general, non-equilibrium route to stabilize metastable superconducting phases at low temperatures, offering a new design paradigm for thin-film quantum materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗