High-temperature superconductivity in one-unit-cell FeSe films

Abstract

Since the dramatic interface enhancement of superconducting transition temperature (Tc) was reported in one unit-cell FeSe film grown on SrTiO3 substrate (1-UC FeSe/STO) by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), related research on this system has become a new frontier in condensed matter physics. In this paper, we present a brief review on this rapidly developing field, mainly focusing on the superconducting properties of 1-UC FeSe/STO. Experimental evidences for the high-temperature superconductivity in 1-UC FeSe/STO, including the direct evidences revealed by transport and diamagnetic measurements, and other evidences from scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), are overviewed. Potential mechanisms of the enhanced superconductivity are discussed. There are accumulating arguments suggesting that the strengthened Cooper pairing in 1-UC FeSe/STO originates from the interface effects, specifically charge transfer and coupling to phonon modes in TiO2 plane. The study of superconductivity in 1-UC FeSe/STO not only sheds a new light on the mechanism of high-temperature superconductors with layered structures, but also provides the insight to explore new superconductors by interface engineering.