The strain-induced evolution in the transport properties of La1.44Nd0.4Sr0.16CuO4 films in magnetic fields

The transport properties of the c-axis-oriented La1.44Nd0.4Sr0.16CuO4/LaSrAlO4 (LNSCO/LSAO) films with different thickness are measured in the magnetic fields both parallel and perpendicular to the c-axis. From the analysis of the superconducting transitions, resistive upper critical fields Hc2(T), irreversibility lines and flux pinning potentials U0(H) in these films, we find a crossover from parallel shift to fan-shape broadening in the resistive transition and an order of magnitude increasing in the U0(H) as the film thickness decreases. It is suggested that these results are closely related to the tuning of superconductivity and the charge-stripe order in LNSCO system by the epitaxial strain.