Superconductivity in PrNiO2 infinite-layer nickelates

Abstract

Several reports about infinite-layer nickelate thin films suggest that the superconducting critical temperature versus chemical doping phase diagram has a dome-like shape, similar to cuprates. Here, we demonstrate a highly reproducible superconducting state in undoped PrNiO$_2$ thin films grown onto SrTiO$_3$. Scanning transmission electron microscopy measurements demonstrate coherent and defect-free infinite-layer phase, a high structural quality with no unintentional chemical doping and a total absence of interstitial oxygen. X-ray absorption measurements show very sharp features at the Ni L$_{3,2}$-edges with a large linear dichroism, indicating the preferential hole-occupation of Ni$^{1+}$-3d$_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals in a square planar geometry. Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering measurements reveal sharp magnon excitations of 200\,meV energy at magnetic Brillouin zone boundary, highly resonant at the Ni$^{1+}$ absorption peak. The results indicate that, when properly stabilized, infinite-layer nickelate thin films are superconducting without chemical doping.