Quasiparticle density of states of 2H-NbSe2 single crystals revealed by low-temperature specific heat measurements according to a two-component model

Low-temperature specific heat in a dichalcogenide superconductor 2H-NbSe2 is measured in various magnetic fields. It is found that the specific heat can be described very well by a simple model concerning two components corresponding to vortex normal core and ambient superconducting region, separately. For calculating the specific heat outside the vortex core region, we use the Bardeen-Cooper Schrieffer （BCS） formalism under the assumption of a narrow distribution of the superconducting gaps. The field-dependent vortex core size in the mixed state of 2H-NbSe2, determined by using this model, can explain the nonlinear field dependence of specific heat coefficient γ（H）, which is in good agreement with the previous experimental results and more formal calculations. With the high-temperature specific heat data, we can find that, in the multi-band superconductor 2H-NbSe2, the recovered density of states （or Fermi surface） below Tc under a magnetic field seems not to be gapped again by the charge density wave （CDW） gap, which suggests that the superconducting gap and the CDW gap may open on different Fermi surface sheets.     

Peak effect studies in single crystals CeRu2 and 2H-NbS2

We have studied the peak effect (PE) phenomenon in single crystals of weakly pinned superconductors CeRu₂ and 2H-NbS₂. 2H-NbS₂ is iso-structural and iso-electronic to 2H-NbSe₂, whose similarity with CeRu₂ as regards the PE representing the order-to-disorder transformation of the flux line lattice was claimed some time ago. We report on the step change in equilibrium magnetization across the peak effect in CeRu₂. We also present the vortex phase diagram of 2H-NbS₂ obtained from the magnetization data, and compare the PE phenomenon in 2H-NbS₂ and 2H-NbSe₂.     

An electron diffraction evidence of charge density wave instability in 2H-NbSe2

A superlattice is observed by electron diffraction in 2H-NbSe₂ below the onset of charge density wave instability at 33.5 K.     

Study of the peak effect phenomenon in single crystals of 2H-NbSe2

The weakly pinned single crystals of the hexagonal 2H-NbSe₂ compound have emerged as prototypes for determining and characterizing the phase boundaries of the possible order-disorder transformations in the vortex matter. We present here a status report based on the ac and dc magnetization measurements of the peak effect phenomenon in three crystals of 2H-NbSe₂, in which the critical current densities vary over two orders of magnitude. We sketch the generic vortex phase diagram of a weakly pinned superconductor, which also utilizes theoretical proposals. We also establish the connection between the metastability effects and pinning.     

Intensity variations of angle-resolved photoemission spectra of 2H-NbSe2

Angle-resolved photoemission spectra of 2H-NbSe₂ are calculated on the one-step model with a single plane wave final state and within the constant matrix element approximation. The results are compared with the experimental spectra obtained for ?ω = 21.2 eV. It is found that the intensities of the observed peaks are predicted reasonably well by this model (especially by one-dimensional density of initial states along k_?).     

Charge density wave and superconductivity in 2H- and 4H-NbSe<Subscript>2</Subscript>: A revisit

Good-quality hexagonal NbSe₂ single crystals were prepared. In 2H-NbSe₂, superconducting and charge density wave (CDW) transitions were found at T _s = 7.4 K and T _c = 35 K respectively as reported previously. We have noticed that these two transitions are changed to T _c = 42 K and T _s = 6.5 K, in 4H-NbSe₂. Thermopower has shown clear anomaly at CDW transitions. The anisotropic upper critical field was calculated as ~3 and 6.3 for 2H- and 4H-single crystals around t = 0.81, where t = T/T _s, from resistivity and explained in terms of coherence length. From the relation, H_c2 (T)=H_c2 (0)[1-t²]H_{\rm c2} (T)=H_{\rm c2} (0)[1-t^2], H_c2^l (0)H_{\rm c2}^l (0) was calculated as ~8.15 T and 16.98 T at t = 0.84 in 2H-NbSe₂ and 4H-NbSe₂ respectively. However, H_c2^t (0) = 2.68H_{\rm c2}^t (0) = 2.68T for both single crystals.     

Angle-resolved photoemission spectra of 2H-NbSe2

Angle-resolved photoemission measurements have been made on the metallic layer compound 2H-NbSe₂. From the results, E vs k_∥ dispersion curves have been obtained along two principal symmetry directions in the Brillouin zone. The experimental energy bands are found to be in good agreement with the results predicted by one-dimensional density of initial states along k_⊥.     

Transverse energy gap in 2H-NbSe2

The transverse energy gap in 2H-NbSe₂ has been measured using a Nb flat “point” contact tunneling technique. Its value of 1.15±0.07 milivolt yields a value of 3.78 for the ratio 2Δ(0)/kT_c.     

Electron diffraction study of the charge-density wave superlattice in 2H-NbSe2

In addition to the well-known 3a₀ CDW superlattice, we have observed in 2H-NbSe₂ a 2a₀ superlattice and a well-defined elliptical contour of diffuse intensity between the 3a₀ CDW spots. The 2a₀ superlattice is indicative of a CDW formation through the saddle-point nesting on the Fermi-surface.     

Anomalous resistivity of iodine-free 2H-NbSe2

Resistance ratios of crystals of 2H-NbSe₂ grown with and without iodine were measured over the temperature range 6K–40K. Iodine-free crystals had higher ratios than any NbSe₂ previously reported and exhibited an abrupt anomaly at the onset of the charge density wave phase. All crystals displayed a cubic temperature dependence of their resistivities below 18K.     

Thermodynamic properties of superconducting 2H-NbSe2 exhibiting anisotropy and strong-coupling effect

A simple semi-empirical model which takes account of effects of the anisotropy and the strong coupling interaction in the expression of the energy gap together with the ellipsoidal energy spectrum is proposed to explain results of specific heat measurements on layer structure compound 2H-NbSe₂. The thermodynamic properties such as the electronic specific heat and the thermodynamic critical field deduced from this model give good agreements with experimental results.     

Experimental investigation of superconductivity in 2H-NbSe2 single crystal

The basic quantities characterizing the superconducting behaviour of pure 2H-NbSe₂ single crystals have been determined from specific heat measurements, performed between 0.3 and 10 K in magnetic fields up to 55 KG. When Ti impurities are added, changes are observed both in the superconducting parameters and in the onset of charge density waves, strengthening the idea that a connection exists between the two phenomena.     

Thermal expansion of lT-TaS2 and 2H-NbSe2

The thermal expansion of the a and c axes of lT-TaS₂ and of the a axis of 2H-NbSe₂ have been measured between 4 K and 360 K. Discontinuities in the lattice parameters of TaS₂ were observed at the known charge density wave phase transitions near 200 K and 352 K, and a new transition was found near 283 K. These results are used to estimate the entropy changes occurring at the phase transitions. At the charge density wave onset temperature in NbSe₂ we find an upper limit to any discontinuity in the a axis of 2 × 10^-7 and to any discontinuity in the expansion coefficient of 3 × 10^-7 K^-1.     

Structure of vacant electronic states of an oxidized germanium surface upon deposition of perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride films

This paper presents the results of the investigation of the interface potential barrier and vacant electronic states in the energy range of 5 to 20 eV above the Fermi level (E_F) in the deposition of perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) films on the oxidized germanium surface ((GeO₂)Ge). The concentration of oxide on the (GeO₂)Ge surface was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In the experiments, we used the recording of the reflection of a test low-energy electron beam from the surface, implemented in the mode of total current spectroscopy. The theoretical analysis involves the calculation of the energy and spatial distribution of the orbitals of PTCDA molecules by the density functional theory (DFT) using B3LYP functional with the basis 6-31G(d), followed by the scaling of the calculated values of the orbital energy according to the procedure well-proven in the studies of small organic conjugated molecules. The pattern of changes in the fine structure of the total current spectra with increasing thickness of the PTCDA coating on the (GeO₂)Ge surface to 6 nm was studied. At energies below 9 eV above E_F, there is a maximum of the density of unoccupied electron states in the PTCDA film, formed mainly by π* molecular orbitals. The higher density maxima of unoccupied states are of σ* nature. The formation of the interface potential barrier in the deposition of PTCDA at the (GeO₂)Ge surface is accompanied by an increase in the work function of the surface, E_vac–E_F, from 4.6 ± 0.1 to 4.9 ± 0.1 eV. This occurs when the PTCDA coating thickness increases to 3 nm, and upon further deposition of PTCDA, the work function of the surface does not change, which corresponds to the model of formation of a limited polarization layer in the deposited organic film.     

Collective excitations in superconductors with structural transition

In this paper we have found new low-frequency collective excitations in superconductors with structural transformation. The connection between our results and the experiments on Raman scattering in 2H-NbSe₂ cDw- superconductor is discussed.     

Tandem organic light-emitting diodes with an effective charge-generation connection structure

The tandem organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with an effective charge-generation connection structure of Mg-doped tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq₃)/Molybdenum oxide (MoO₃)-doped 3, 4, 9, 10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) were presented. At a current density of 50 mA/cm², the current efficiency of the tandem OLED with two standard NPB/Alq₃ emitting units is 4.2 cd/A, which is 1.7 times greater than that of the single EL device. The tandem OLED with the similar connection structure of Mg-doped PTCDA/ MoO₃-doped PTCDA was also fabricated and the influences of the different connection units on the current efficiency of the tandem OLED were discussed as well.     

Highly efficient and stable organic light-emitting diodes employing MoO3-doped perylene-3, 4, 9, 10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride as hole injection layer

We report highly efficient and stable organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with MoO₃-doped perylene-3, 4, 9, 10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) as hole injection layer (HIL). A green OLED with structure of ITO/20 wt% MoO₃: PTCDA/NPB/Alq₃/LiF/Al shows a long lifetime of 1012 h at the initial luminance of 2000 cd/m², which is 1.3 times more stable than that of the device with MoO₃ as HIL. The current efficiency of 4.7 cd/A and power efficiency of 3.7 lm/W at about 100 cd/m² have been obtained. The charge transfer complex between PTCDA and MoO₃ plays a decisive role in improving the performance of OLEDs.     

Van Hove singularity as a possible origin of the bandwidth renormalization in layered superconductors

We use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to study bandwidth renormalization in layered superconductor 2H-NbSe₂. Renormalization of the conduction band in comparison with the very similar 2H-TaSe₂ is of the factor of two. We discuss the possibility that the Van Hove singularity could be responsible for this effect not only in dichalcogenides but also in pnictides.     

Microscopic state of the positive muon in 2H-NbSe2

The microscopic state of the positive muon in the transition metal dichalcogenide 2H-NbSe₂ was studied using the muon spin relaxation method (μ⁺SR). We found that the μ⁺SR spectra consist of two components. The ratio of the two components and the dynamics of the muon change at 140 K, at the charge-density-wave transition temperature (32 K), and again at the superconducting transition temperature (7 K). We discuss the relation between conduction electron properties and the muon's behavior. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of non-magnetic impurities on the observation of superconducting gap excitations by raman scattering

The effect of small concentrations of non-magnetic substitutional impurities (characterized by changes in mass, nearest neighbour force constants and local electron-phonon interaction) on the observability of superconducing (sc) gap excitations in 2H-NbSe₂ by Raman scattering is considered within the theoretical framework of Balseiro and Falicov (bf). The phonon self-energy when evaluated forq=0 using the Einstein oscillator model for the host phonons is seen to have a pole corresponding to the impurity mode besides the gap excitation one around 2Δ previously obtained bybf. A splitting of the impurity mode into two in thesc state is predicted. An enhancement occurs in the strength of thesc gap excitation peak whenever it is close to the impurity mode. The data from the experiments of Sooryakumar, Klein and Frindt on impure samples of 2H-NbSe₂ are discussed in the light of the present calculation. Preliminary results of this paper were presented by one of us (snb) at the International Conference on Phonon Physics at Indiana University, Bloomington, USA, in August-September 1981.