Search for new superconductors in rare-earth silicide systems

ORAL

Abstract

We have searched for the presence of superconductivity in the RE$_{5}$Si$_{3}$ system doped with C or B as a light element (RE: La, Ce, Pr, and Eu). High temperature superconductors and RE$_{5}$Si$_{3}$ systems have some common properties. Both systems have a layered tetragonal crystal structure. They are multi-element compounds and are also doped with a light element to introduce the superconductivity. In this study, multiphase bulk samples were made using arc-melting. Phase spread alloy thin films were also prepared in a sputtering system. We used magnetic field modulated microwave absorption spectroscopy (MFMMS), which is a very sensitive contactless technique to detect superconductivity, as the first screening for the existence of superconductivity in an inhomogeneous sample. We will present some of our results from MFMMS and SQUID measurements and compare them with structural refinement from X-Ray data.

*This study was made possible by the generous support of AFOSR MURI ``Search for New Superconductors for Energy and Power Applications.''

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Authors

  • Ali Basaran

    • University of California, San Diego
    • University of California - San Diego

  • Jose de la Venta

    • Univ of California - San Diego
    • University of California, San Diego
    • University of California - San Diego

  • Ivan Schuller

    • Center for Advanced Nanoscience, University of California San Diego
    • Univ of California - San Diego
    • Department of Physics and Materials Science and Engineering and Center for Advanced Nanoscience, UCSD, La Jolla, CA, USA
    • University of California, San Diego
    • University of California - San Diego
    • Center for Advanced Nanoscience, UCSD

  • Ted Grant

    • University of California Irvine
    • Departments of Physics and Astronomy, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
    • University of California, Irvine
    • University of California - Irvine

  • Zachary Fisk

    • Departments of Physics and Astronomy, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
    • University of California, Irvine