Tunable superconductivity in parent cuprate Pr$_{2}$CuO$_{4\pm\delta}$ thin films

TL;DR

This study investigates how oxygen content affects superconductivity in Pr$_{2}$CuO$_{4 ext{±}\delta}$ thin films, revealing that oxygen removal induces electron doping which is crucial for superconductivity.

Contribution

It demonstrates that oxygen removal in Pr$_{2}$CuO$_{4 ext{±}\delta}$ thin films induces electron doping responsible for superconductivity, providing insight into the role of oxygen in parent cuprates.

Findings

Oxygen removal changes Hall coefficient and magnetoresistance from negative to positive.

Superconductivity correlates with oxygen content and electron doping.

Doped electrons from oxygen removal induce superconductivity in parent compounds.

Abstract

In this article, we studied the role of oxygen in Pr$_{2}$CuO$_{4\pm\delta}$ thin films fabricated by polymer assisted deposition method. The magnetoresistance and Hall resistivity of Pr$_{2}$CuO$_{4\pm\delta}$ samples were systematically investigated. It is found that with decreasing the oxygen content, the low-temperature Hall coefficient ($R_H$) and magnetoresistance change from negative to positive, similar to those with the increase of Ce-doped concentration in R$_{2-x}$Ce$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$ (R= La, Nd, Pr, Sm, Eu). In addition, $T_c$ versus $R_H$ for both Pr$_{1-x}$LaCe$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$ and Pr$_{2}$CuO$_{4\pm\delta}$ samples can coincide with each other. We conclude that the doped electrons induced by the oxygen removal are responsible for the superconductivity of $T^\prime$-phase parent compounds.