Spatially modulated heavy-fermion superconductivity in CeIrIn5

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a method to spatially control superconductivity in heavy-fermion CeIrIn5 crystals by using focused ion beam patterning to induce strain, enabling manipulation of electronic order at microscale.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to spatially modulate superconductivity in strongly correlated materials via strain engineering using FIB patterning.

Findings

Spatial modulation of superconductivity achieved in CeIrIn5.

Strain-induced patterns match finite element simulation predictions.

Method enables manipulation of electronic states on micrometer scales.

Abstract

The ability to spatially modulate the electronic properties of solids has led to landmark discoveries in condensed matter physics as well as new electronic applications. Although crystals of strongly correlated metals exhibit a diverse set of electronic ground states, few approaches to spatially modulating their properties exist. Here we demonstrate spatial control over the superconducting state in mesoscale samples of the canonical heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrIn5. We use a focused ion beam (FIB) to pattern crystals on the microscale, which tailors the strain induced by differential thermal contraction into specific areas of the device. The resulting non-uniform strain fields induce complex patterns of superconductivity due to the strong dependence of the transition temperature on the strength and direction of strain. Electrical transport and magnetic imaging of devices with different geometry show that the obtained spatial modulation of superconductivity agrees with predictions based on finite element simulations. These results present a generic approach to manipulating electronic order on micrometer length scales in strongly correlated matter.