InN superconducting phase transition

Abstract

InN superconductivity is very special among III–V semiconductors, as other III–V semiconductors (such as GaAs, GaN, InP, InAs, etc.) usually lack strong covalent bonding and thus seldom show superconductivity at low temperatures. Here, we probe the different superconducting phase transitions in InN highlighted by its microstructure. Those chemical-unstable phase-separated inclusions, such as metallic indium or In2O3, are intentionally removed by HCl acid etching. The quasi-two-dimensional vortex liquid-glass transition is observed in the sample with a large InN grain size. In contrast, the superconducting properties of InN with a small grain size are sensitive to acid etching, showing a transition into a nonzero resistance state when the temperature approaches zero. Since the value of ξ0 (the zero-temperature-limit superconducting coherence length) is close to the grain size, it is suggested that individual InN grains and intergrain coupling should be responsible for the sample-dependent InN superconducting phase transition. Our work establishes a guideline for engineering superconductivity in III-nitride.