Superconductivity in Cu x IrTe 2 driven by interlayer hybridization

The change in the electronic structure of layered CuxIrTe2 has been characterized by transport and spectroscopic measurements, combined with first-principles calculations. The Cu intercalation suppresses the monoclinic distortion, giving rise to the stabilization of the trigonal phase with superconductivity. Thermopower and Hall resistivity measurements suggest the multiband nature with hole and electron carriers for this system, which is masked by the predominance of the hole carriers enhanced by the interlayer hybridization in the trigonal phase. Rather than the instability of the Ir d band, a subtle balance between the interlayer and intralayer Te-Te hybridizations is proposed as a main factor dominating the structural transition and the superconductivity.