Normal-state resistivity and the depairing current density of BaFe$_2$(As,P)$_2$ nanobridges along the $c$ axis

Abstract

We report precise measurements to obtain the normal-state resistivity and the depairing current density of BaFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_x$)$_2$($x\sim0.29-0.32$) nanobridges along the $c$ axis, which are fabricated from single crystals near the optimal doping, by using focused ion beam (FIB) techniques. We obtained both of the $ab$-plane and $c$-axis resistivity ($\rho_{ab}$ and $\rho_c$) in the same part of a specimen, by fabricating the $c$-axis nanobridge in the middle of a narrow bridge extended in $ab$-plane, in spite of the slight deficiency of P dopant due to the additional FIB fabrication. The normal-state resistivity anisotropy agreed with the previous results for bulk samples, showing $\rho_c/\rho_{ab} < 8$ just above the superconducting transition temperature, $T_c$, in the slightly underdoped region and a slight decrease with increasing temperatures. The critical current density obtained in the $c$-axis nanobridges near the optimal doping reaches $\sim$8 MA/cm$^2$ at 0.15$T_c$, corresponding to about 87 % of a depairing limit derived by the Eilenberger equations. An extrapolation to $T=$0 K using the Ginzburg-Landau model suggests that the anisotropy of the depairing current density roughly corresponds to that of the normal-state resistivity. At low temperatures, we also observed a step-like voltage jump before arriving at the depairing limit, suggesting the occurrence of phase-slip phenomena near the depairing processes.