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We report evidence for superconductivity with onset temperatures up to 11 K in thin films of the infinite-layer nickelate parent compound ${\mathrm{NdNiO}}_2$. A combination of oxide molecular beam epitaxy and atomic hydrogen reduction yields samples with high crystallinity and low residual resistivities, a substantial fraction of which exhibit superconducting transitions. We survey a large series of samples with a variety of techniques, including electrical transport, scanning transmission electron microscopy, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering, to investigate the possible origins of superconductivity. We propose that superconductivity could be intrinsic to the undoped infinite-layer nickelates but suppressed by disorder due to a possibly sign-changing order parameter, a finding which would necessitate a reconsideration of the nickelate phase diagram. Another possible hypothesis is that the parent materials can be hole doped from randomly dispersed apical oxygen atoms, which would suggest an alternative pathway for achieving superconductivity. Published by the American Physical Society2025 

We present a detailed x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) study of the magnetic properties of Gd-doped EuO thin films, synthesized via molecular-beam epitaxy with Gd doping levels up to over 12%. The impact of Gd doping on the electronic and magnetic behavior of EuO is studied using XMCD and magnetometry. Gd doping significantly enhances the Curie temperature ( $T_{\mathrm{C}}$) from 69 K in undoped EuO to over 120 K, driven by increased carrier density, while preserving the high quality of the single-crystalline films. At higher doping levels, a plateau in $T_{\mathrm{C}}$is observed, which is attributed to the formation of Eu-Gd nearest-neighbor pairs that limit dopant activation. We also observe a distinctive “double-dome” structure in the temperature-dependent magnetization, which we attribute to both the ferromagnetic ordering of Eu $4f$moments at lower temperatures and the influence of conduction electrons via $4f\text{−}5d$exchange interactions at higher temperatures. These findings provide key insights into the mechanisms of carrier-induced magnetic transitions. Published by the American Physical Society2025 

Abstract Quantum fluctuations in low-dimensional systems and near quantum phase transitions have significant influences on material properties. Yet, it is difficult to experimentally gauge the strength and importance of quantum fluctuations. Here we provide a resonant inelastic x-ray scattering study of magnon excitations in Mott insulating cuprates. From the thin film of SrCuO₂, single- and bi-magnon dispersions are derived. Using an effective Heisenberg Hamiltonian generated from the Hubbard model, we show that the single-magnon dispersion is only described satisfactorily when including significant quantum corrections stemming from magnon-magnon interactions. Comparative results on La₂CuO₄indicate that quantum fluctuations are much stronger in SrCuO₂suggesting closer proximity to a magnetic quantum critical point. Monte Carlo calculations reveal that other magnetic orders may compete with the antiferromagnetic Néel order as the ground state. Our results indicate that SrCuO₂—due to strong quantum fluctuations—is a unique starting point for the exploration of novel magnetic ground states. 

Here, we report that a source of Si impurities commonly observed on (010) β-Ga2O3 is from exposure of the surface to air. Moreover, we find that a 15 min hydrofluoric acid (HF) (49%) treatment reduces the Si density by approximately 1 order of magnitude on (010) β-Ga2O3 surfaces. This reduction in Si is critical for the elimination of the often observed parasitic conducting channel, which negatively affects transport properties and lateral transistor performance. After the HF treatment, the sample must be immediately put under vacuum, for the Si fully returns within 10 min of additional air exposure. Finally, we demonstrate that performing a 30 min HF (49%) treatment on the substrate before growth has no deleterious effect on the structure or on the epitaxy surface after subsequent Ga2O3 growth. 

β -Ga2O3 is actively touted as the next ultrawide bandgap material for power electronics. To fully utilize its high intrinsic critical electric field, development of high-quality robust large-barrier height junctions is essential. To this end, various high-work function metals, metal oxides, and hole-conducting oxides have been deposited on Ga2O3, primarily formed by sputter deposition. Unfortunately, reports to date indicate that measured barrier heights often deviate from the Schottky–Mott model as well as x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) extractions of conduction band offsets, suggesting significant densities of electrically active defects at these junctions. We report Schottky diodes made from noble metal oxides, IrO2 and RuO2, deposited by ozone molecular beam epitaxy (ozone MBE) with barrier heights near 1.8 eV. These barriers show close agreement across extraction methods and robust to high surface electric fields upward of 6 MV/cm and 60 A/cm2 reverse current without degradation. 

Abstract A hallmark of many unconventional superconductors is the presence of many-body interactions that give rise to broken-symmetry states intertwined with superconductivity. Recent resonant soft X-ray scattering experiments report commensurate 3a₀charge density wave order in infinite-layer nickelates, which has important implications regarding the universal interplay between charge order and superconductivity in both cuprates and nickelates. Here we present X-ray scattering and spectroscopy measurements on a series of NdNiO_2+xsamples, which reveal that the signatures of charge density wave order are absent in fully reduced, single-phase NdNiO₂. The 3a₀superlattice peak instead originates from a partially reduced impurity phase where excess apical oxygens form ordered rows with three-unit-cell periodicity. The absence of any observable charge density wave order in NdNiO₂highlights a crucial difference between the phase diagrams of cuprate and nickelate superconductors. 

Abstract It has been suggested that Ba₃In₂O₆might be a high-T_csuperconductor. Experimental investigation of the properties of Ba₃In₂O₆was long inhibited by its instability in air. Recently epitaxial Ba₃In₂O₆with a protective capping layer was demonstrated, which finally allows its electronic characterization. The optical bandgap of Ba₃In₂O₆is determined to be 2.99 eV in-the (001) plane and 2.83 eV along thec-axis direction by spectroscopic ellipsometry. First-principles calculations were carried out, yielding a result in good agreement with the experimental value. Various dopants were explored to induce (super-)conductivity in this otherwise insulating material. NeitherA- norB-site doping proved successful. The underlying reason is predominately the formation of oxygen interstitials as revealed by scanning transmission electron microscopy and first-principles calculations. Additional efforts to induce superconductivity were investigated, including surface alkali doping, optical pumping, and hydrogen reduction. To probe liquid-ion gating, Ba₃In₂O₆was successfully grown epitaxially on an epitaxial SrRuO₃bottom electrode. So far none of these efforts induced superconductivity in Ba₃In₂O_6,leaving the answer to the initial question of whether Ba₃In₂O₆is a high-T_csuperconductor to be ‘no’ thus far.