Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in rhenium nitride films
Abstract
The quest to manipulate and understand superconductivity demands exploring diverse materials and unconventional behaviors. Here, we investigate the BKT transition in synthesized ReN thin films, demonstrating their emergence as a compelling platform for studying this pivotal phenomenon. By systematically varying synthesis parameters, we achieve ReN films exhibiting a BKT transition comparable or even surpassing the archetypal NbN system. Detailed current-voltage measurements unlock the intrinsic parameters of the BKT transition, revealing the critical role of suppressed superconducting volume in pushing ReN towards the two-dimensional limit. Utilizing this two-dimensional electron system, we employ Beasley-Mooij-Orlando (BMO) theory to extract the vortex unbinding transition temperature and superelectron density at the critical point. Further confirmation of the BKT transition is obtained through temperature-dependent resistivity, current-voltage, and magnetoresistance measurements. Our findings suggest that native disorder and inhomogeneity within ReN thin films act to suppress long-range coherence, ultimately driving the system towards the BKT regime. This work establishes ReN as a promising material for exploring BKT physics and paves the way for tailoring its properties for potential applications in superconducting devices.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2401.12628,
title = {Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in rhenium nitride films},
author = {Kosuke Takiguchi and Yoshiharu Krockenberger and Yoshitaka Taniyasu and Hideki Yamamoto},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2401.12628},
year = {2024}
}