Electron Localization in La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 and the Role of Stripes

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arXiv:cond-mat/0408627v1 [cond-mat.supr-con] 28 Aug 2004ElectronLocalizationinLa2−xSrxCuO4andtheRoleofStripes

SeikiKomiya∗andYoichiAndo†

CentralResearchInstituteofElectricPowerIndustry,Komae,Tokyo201-8511,Japan

(Dated:February2,2008)

Thenormal-statein-planeresistivity(ρab)ismeasuredinlightlyZn-dopedLa2−xSrxCuO4(LSCO)

crystalswith0.06≤x≤0.17tosystematicallystudythelocalizationbehavior.Itisfoundthat

thelocalizationtemperature,Tloc,whereρab(T)turnsfrommetallic(dρab/dT>0)toinsulating

(dρab/dT<0),showsananomalousenhancementatx=0.12.Intriguingly,thedopingdependence

ofTlocinZn-dopedLSCOisfoundtobesimilartothatofZn-freeLSCOwheresuperconductivity

issuppressedbyahighmagneticfield.Thissuggeststhatthemechanismofthelocalizationisthe

sameinlightlyZn-dopedLSCOandinZn-freeLSCOundermagneticfield,andinbothcasesitis

probablycausedbythefreezingoftheelectronsintoaninhomogeneousstate,whichleadstothe

spinstripesatlowtemperatures.

PACSnumbers:74.25.Fy,74.25.Dw,74.72.Dn,74.20.Mn

InunderdopedLa2−xSrxCuO4(LSCO)superconduc-

tors,itisknownthatthetemperaturedependenceofthe

in-planeresistivityρab(T)becomesinsulatingatlowtem-

peratureswhenthesuperconductivityissuppressedby

ahighmagneticfield,1andthatthemetal-to-insulator

crossoverinthenormalstatetakesplaceatoptimum

doping.2Sinceitisunusualtohaveaninsulatingnor-

malstateinasuperconductor,itwouldbeofimpor-

tancetounderstandtheoriginofthispeculiarlocal-

izationinunderdopedLSCO.Ontheotherhand,itis

alsoknownthatametallictransport(dρab/dT>0)is

realizedinLSCOwithonly1%-Srdopingatmoderate

temperatures.3Thesetwopeculiaritiesmakeasystem-

aticstudyofthelocalizationbehavior,thetransition

fromhightemperaturemetallicρabtolowtemperature

insulatingρab,particularlymeaningfulinextendingour

knowledgeontheelectronicstateofunderdopedLSCO.

Sincethelocalizationbehaviorwasstudiedbythemea-

surementsinpulsedhighmagneticfieldonlyforafewx

values,2itisthepurposeofthepresentworktostudythe

xdependenceinmoredetailtounderstandthemecha-

nismofthelocalization.

AnotherpeculiarfeatureinunderdopedLSCOisthe

staticspinstripeswhichdevelopatlowtemperaturesand

areobservedbyelasticneutronscatteringexperiments.4,5

However,thereisstillnodirectevidenceforthepres-

enceofchargestripesinLSCO,althoughexperimen-

talresultsthatindirectlyindicatesomechargeinho-

mogeneityareaccumulating.6,7,8,9Theoretically,various

formsofchargeinhomogeneity(orchargeorder)have

beenproposedtoexistincuprates.10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18

Ifthechargeinhomogeneityindeedexistsinunderdoped

LSCO,thelocalizationphenomenamightbeassociated

withachangeinthechargedynamicsduetothefor-

mationofsuchastructure,asisthecasewiththe

Nd-dopedLSCOwherestaticchargestripesareknown

tobestabilizedandlocalizationtakesplacebelowthe

temperatureoflow-temperature-orthorhombic(LTO)to

thelow-temperature-tetragonal(LTT)structuralphase

transition.19,20,21

Inthiswork,wesystematicallystudythelocalizationTABLEI:ResultsoftheICP-AESanalysesforgrown

La2−xSrxCu1−yZnyO4singlecrystals.y=0.02foreachsam-

pleinnominalcomposition.

nominalx0.060.080.100.120.150.172

eachedgeparalleltothecrystallographicaxiswithinan

errorof1◦usingx-rayLauetechnique.Typicalsample

sizeis2.0×0.5×0.15mm3,wherethec-axisisper-

pendiculartotheplatelets.Thesamplesareannealedat

800◦Cfor40hoursinair,followedbyrapidquenching

toroomtemperature,toremoveoxygendefectsinthe

as-growncrystals.Thetemperaturedependenceofρabis

measuredusingastandardacfour-probemethodunder

dcmagneticfieldparalleltothec-axisupto18Tinthe

temperaturerangefrom3.2Kto300K.

Figure1showsthetemperaturedependenceofρabin

zeroand18-Tfieldswiththeverticalaxisinlogarith-

micscale.Inzerofield,exceptforthex=0.12sample

(onwhichweelaboratelater),thebehaviorofρab(T)

atmoderatetemperaturesdoesnotqualitativelychange

withx,whichisthesameasthebehaviorofZn-free

LSCOcrystals.3Insampleswithx≤0.10,supercon-

ductivityissuppressedcompletelywith2%-Znsubstitu-

tionandρab(T)becomesinsulatingatlowtemperatures,

whichisalsosimilartothebehaviorofZn-freeunder-

dopedLSCOwhensuperconductivityissuppressedby

pulsedhighmagneticfield.1

Inordertoadditionallysuppresssuperconductivity,

18-Tmagneticfieldisappliedalongthec-axis.Insam-

pleswithx≤0.10,nosignificantchangeisobservedupon

applying18-Tmagneticfield.Inthex=0.12sample,

superconductivityisalmostcompletelysuppressedunder

the18-Tmagneticfieldandρab(T)showsaninsulating

behaviordowntolowtemperatures.Insampleswith

0.11

0100200300ρab (mΩcm)

T (K)x=0.06

x=0.08

x=0.10

x=0.12

x=0.15

x=0.17La2-xSrxCu0.98Zn0.02O4

02040600.160.18

ρab(mΩ cm)

T (K)x = 0.15 H = 18 T

(kFl = 10)

FIG.1:Temperaturedependencesofρabfor2%-Zn-doped

LSCOsinglecrystalswithx=0.06–0.17.Solidlinesand

dottedlinesrepresentthedatainzerofieldandin18-Tfield,

respectively.Inset:Enlargedviewofthedataforthex=0.15

samplein18-T

field.00.51