Correlation of Fe-Based Superconductivity and Electron-Phonon Coupling in an FeAs/Oxide Heterostructure

Abstract

Interfacial phonons between iron-based superconductors (FeSCs) and perovskite substrates have received considerable attention due to the possibility of enhancing preexisting superconductivity. Using scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we studied the correlation between superconductivity and e−ph interaction with interfacial phonons in an iron-based superconductor Sr2VO3FeAs (Tc≈33 K) made of alternating FeSC and oxide layers. The quasiparticle interference measurement over regions with systematically different average superconducting gaps due to the e−ph coupling locally modulated by O vacancies in the VO2 layer, and supporting self-consistent momentum-dependent Eliashberg calculations provide a unique real-space evidence of the forward-scattering interfacial phonon contribution to the total superconducting pairing. © 2017 American Physical Society