Interplay of superconductivity and magnetism in the single crystals of Er1−xTbxNi2B2C

The measurements of temperature-dependent resistivity ρ(T) and magnetization M(T) are carried out for the single crystals of Er1−xTbxNi2B2C (x=0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.35, 0.4, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, and 1.0) in order to study the superconductivity, magnetism, and their interplay in the temperature range of 2 K⩽T⩽20 K. From the analysis of the ρ(T) and M(T) data, the superconducting (Tc), antiferromagnetic (TN), and weak ferromagnetic (TWF), transition temperatures are derived and represented in terms of De Gennes (DG) factor. It is found that the Tc is suppressed with increasing Tb concentration and a crossover for Tc<TN occurs at x=0.2. Tc variation follows well the DG scaling even when Tc<TN. The TN is almost independent of temperature at T≈6 K in the Er-rich side of the compounds (x⩽0.4) and follows DG scaling based on the Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida interaction in Tb-rich side (x⩾0.6). The TWF also shows distinct behaviors in a Er- and Tb-rich region. The observed superconductivity, AF-ordered stat...