Hole and Electron Contributions to the Transport Properties of Ba(Fe_(1-x)Ru_x)_2As_2 Single Crystals

TL;DR

This study investigates how Ru substitution affects the structural, magnetic, and transport properties of Ba(Fe_{1-x}Ru_x)_2As_2 single crystals, revealing the emergence of superconductivity and changes in carrier dynamics.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of Ru doping on the electronic structure and transport behavior, highlighting the role of hole mobility enhancement.

Findings

Superconductivity appears for x > 0.15 with Tc ~ 20K.

Hall coefficient changes sign indicating altered carrier contributions.

Hole mobility surpasses electron mobility at higher Ru content.

Abstract

We report a systematic study of structural and transport properties in single crystals of Ba(Fe_(1-x)Ru_x)_2As_2 for x ranging from 0 to 0.5. The isovalent substitution of Fe by Ru leads to an increase of the a parameter and a decrease of the c parameter, resulting in a strong increase of the AsFeAs angle and a decrease of the As height above the Fe planes. Upon Ru substitution, the magnetic order is progressively suppressed and superconductivity emerges for x > 0.15, with an optimal Tc ~ 20K at x = 0.35 and coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity between these two Ru contents. Moreover, the Hall coefficient RH which is always negative and decreases with temperature in BaFe2As2, is found to increase here with decreasing T and even change sign for x > 0.15. For x_Ru = 0.35, photo-emission studies have shown that the number of holes and electrons are similar with n_e = n_h ~ 0.11, that is twice larger than found in BaFe2As2 [1]. Using this estimate, we find that the transport properties of Ba(Fe_0.65Ru_0.35)_2As_2 can be accounted for by the conventional multiband description for a compensated semi-metal. In particular, our results show that the mobility of holes is strongly enhanced upon Ru addition and overcomes that of electrons at low temperature when x_Ru > 0.15.