Enhancement of electronic inhomogeneities due to out-of-plane disorder in Bi_2Sr_2CuO_{6+delta} superconductors observed by scanning tunneling spectroscopy

TL;DR

This study uses scanning tunneling spectroscopy to show that out-of-plane disorder in cuprate superconductors increases electronic inhomogeneity and pseudogap regions, correlating with changes in critical temperature.

Contribution

It demonstrates how out-of-plane ionic radius mismatch enhances electronic inhomogeneities and pseudogap regions in cuprate superconductors, linking disorder to superconducting properties.

Findings

Out-of-plane disorder increases pseudogap regions.

Electronic inhomogeneity correlates with Tc.

Disorder broadens the gap distribution.

Abstract

Nanoscale electronic inhomogeneity in optimally doped single-layer Bi_2Sr_{1.6}L_{0.4}CuO_{6+delta}, (L-Bi2201, L=La and Gd) as well as bilayer Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+delta} (Bi2212), superconductors has been investigated by the low-temperature scanning-tunneling-microscopy and spectroscopy. The inhomogeneous gap structures are observed above and below Tc on Gd-Bi2201. Increasing the out-of-plane disorder which is controlled by mismatch of the ionic radius between Sr and Ln results in the enhancement of pseudogap region with suppressed coherence peaks in the conductance spectrum, making the gap average larger and the gap distribution wider. The degree of electronic inhomogeneity measured by the distribution width of the gap amplitude is shown to have a correlation with Tc in optimally doped Bi2201 and Bi2212.