Normal-State c-Axis Resistivity of the High-Tc Cuprate Superconductors

Abstract

It is shown that a strong intraplanar incoherent scattering can effectively block the interplanar coherent tunneling between the weakly coupled planes of the highly anisotropic but clean (intrinsic) materials such as the optimally doped high-Tc layered cuprate superconductors. The calculated normal-state c-axis resistivity ρc(T) then follows the metal-like temperature dependence of the ab-plane resistivity ρab(T) at high temperatures. At low enough temperatures, however, ρc(T) exhibits a non-metal like upturn even as ρab(T) remains metallic. Moreover, in the metallic regime, ρc(T) is not limited by the maximum metallic resistivity of Mott–Ioffe–Regel. This correlation between the intrinsic ρc(T) and ρab(T) is observed in the normal state of the high-Tc stoichiometric cuprates.