Imaging phase separation near the Mott boundary in the correlated organic superconductors $κ$-(BEDT-TTF)$_{2}$X

Abstract

Electronic phase separation consisting of the metallic and insulating domains with 50 -- 100 $μ$m in diameter is found in the organic Mott system $κ$-[($h$8-BEDT-TTF)$_{1-x}$($d$8-BEDT-TTF)$_{x}$]$_{2}$Cu[N(CN)$_{2}$]Br by means of scanning micro-region infrared spectroscopy using the synchrotron radiation. The phase separation appears below the critical end temperature 35 -- 40 K of the first order Mott transition. The observation of the macroscopic size of the domains indicates a different class of the intrinsic electronic inhomogeneity from the nano-scale one reported in the inorganic Mott systems such as High-$T_{c}$ copper and manganese oxides.