Role of oxygen in the electron-doped superconducting cuprates

TL;DR

This study investigates how oxygen content influences superconductivity in electron-doped cuprates, revealing that oxygen affects both doping levels and disorder, which are crucial for superconductivity.

Contribution

It distinguishes the separate roles of oxygen in doping and disorder effects in electron-doped cuprate superconductors.

Findings

Oxygen content impacts doping levels similarly to cerium doping.

Oxygen removal reduces disorder, facilitating superconductivity.

Ion-irradiation and oxygenation have distinct effects on the material.

Abstract

We report on resistivity and Hall measurements in thin films of the electron-doped superconducting cuprate Pr$_{2-x}$Ce$_{x}$CuO$_{4\pm\delta}$. Comparisons between x = 0.17 samples subjected to either ion-irradiation or oxygenation demonstrate that changing the oxygen content has two separable effects: 1) a doping effect similar to that of cerium, and 2) a disorder effect. These results are consistent with prior speculations that apical oxygen removal is necessary to achieve superconductivity in this compound.