Synthesis and Characterization of Iridate/Cuprate Heterostructures for Proximity Effect Studies

To study the proximity effect (PE) between a conductor with strong spin-orbit coupling and a d-wave superconductor, we synthesize thin-film heterostructures of a semimetallic iridate SrIr_1-xO_3-δ with YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ. Pulsed laser-ablated deposition is used for the epitaxial film growth, followed by post-annealing with a superoxygenation process [1]. The samples are structurally characterized using x-ray diffraction and reflectometry, as well as scanning transmission electron microscopy. Cryogenic electrical transport and scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements are made to look for distinct evidence of novel PE in these iridate/cuprate heterostructures.