PTCDA molecular monolayer on Pb thin films: An unusual {\pi}-electron Kondo system and its interplay with a quantum-confined superconductor

Abstract

The hybridization of magnetism and superconductivity has been an intriguing playground for correlated electron systems, hosting various novel physical phenomena. Usually, localized d- or f-electrons are central to magnetism. In this study, by placing a PTCDA (3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride) molecular monolayer on ultra-thin Pb films, we built a hybrid magnetism/superconductivity (M/SC) system consisting of only sp electronic levels. The magnetic moments reside in the unpaired molecular orbital originating from interfacial charge-transfers. We reported distinctive tunneling spectroscopic features of such a Kondo screened pi-electron impurity lattice on a superconductor in the regime of TK>>delta suggesting the formation of a two-dimensional bound states band. Moreover, moir\'e superlattices with tunable twist angle and the quantum confinement in the ultra-thin Pb films provide easy and flexible implementations to tune the interplay between the Kondo physics and the superconductivity, which are rarely present in M/SC hybrid systems.