Dresden 2026 – scientific programme
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TT: Fachverband Tiefe Temperaturen
TT 69: Focus Session: Nickelate Superconductivity: Insights into Unconventional Pairing and Correlation Effects II (joint session TT/DS/MA)
TT 69.4: Talk
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 10:15–10:30, HSZ/0003
Democratizing nickelates superconductors: Topotactic reduction induced by aluminum sputter deposition — •Lucía Iglesias1, Dongxin Zhang1, Aravind Raji2, 3, Luis M. Vicente-Arche1, Alexandre Gloter2, and Manuel Bibes1 — 1Laboratoire Albert Fert, CNRS, Thales, Université Paris-Saclay — 2Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay — 3Synchrotron SOLEIL
Superconductivity in infinite-layer (IL) nickelates (ABO2) was discovery in 2019, opening a new research frontier. However, progress remains limited by the challenging topotactic reduction needed to remove all apical oxygens from the perovskite precursor, typically achieved through a complex ex situ CaH2 method. Although recent in situ approaches, such as metal overlayer deposition via molecular beam epitaxy and atomic hydrogen bombardment, have improved control and reproducibility, their restricted accessibility highlights the need for simpler synthesis routes. Here, we demonstrate a broadly accessible method to fabricate superconducting IL Pr0.8Sr0.2NiO2 films via aluminum deposition using direct-current magnetron sputtering. The sputtered Al drives the reduction through a redox reaction, converting the precursor perovskite into the superconducting IL phase. Systematic optimization of Al-induced reduction yields high-quality films with a maximum transition temperatures of 17 K, consistent with the best reported values. This accessible and highly reproducible approach provides an effective alternative to existing techniques and lowers barriers to the exploration of nickelate superconductors.
Keywords: Nickelates; Superconductivity; Thin films; sputtering deposition; Transport properties