The transition-metal-dichalcogenide family as a superconductor tuned by charge density wave strength

TL;DR

This study investigates how charge density waves influence superconductivity in transition metal dichalcogenides, revealing a universal relationship between critical field and superconducting gap across various materials and thicknesses.

Contribution

It demonstrates a universal proportionality between upper critical field and superconducting gap in TMDs, controlled by charge density wave strength, supported by high-resolution tunneling spectra and theoretical modeling.

Findings

Universal H_{C2} ∝ Δ^2 relationship across TMDs

Charge density wave phase limits T_C in TMDs

H_{C2} is significantly enhanced beyond expected values

Abstract

Metallic transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), consisting of H-NbSe$_2$, H-NbS$_2$, H-TaSe$_2$ and H-TaS$_2$, remain superconducting down to a thickness of a single layer. In these materials, thickness affects a variety of properties, including Ising protection, two-band superconductivity, and the critical temperature $T_C$, which decreases for the Nb-based, and increases for the Ta-based materials. This contradicting trend is puzzling, and has precluded the development of a unified theory. We approach the question of thickness-evolution of $T_C$ and the superconducting gap $\Delta$ by measuring high-resolution tunneling spectra in TaS$_2$-based stacked devices. Our measurements allow for simultaneous evaluation of $\Delta$, $T_C$, and the upper critical field $H_{C2}$. The latter, we find, is strongly enhanced towards the single-layer limit, following a $H_{C2} \propto \Delta^2$ proportionality ratio. Our main finding is that the same ratio holds for the entire family of metallic TMDs: TaS$_2$ and NbSe$_2$ of all thicknesses, bulk TaSe$_2$ and bulk NbS$_2$, extending over 4 orders of magnitude in $H_{C2}$ and covering both clean and dirty limits. We propose that this tunability across the TMD family is controlled by the competing charge density wave (CDW) phase. Using Gor'kov's theory, we calculate how a CDW order affects the quasiparticle density of states and the resulting $T_C$ and $H_{C2}$. Our results suggest that CDW is the key determinant factor limiting $T_C$ in the TMD family. They also show that $H_{C2}$ is universally enhanced by a factor of two orders of magnitude above the expected value, an effect that remains an open question.