High quality epitaxial FeSe0.5Te0.5 thin films grown on SrTiO3 substrates by pulsed laser deposition

TL;DR

This paper reports the successful growth of high-quality, epitaxial FeSe0.5Te0.5 thin films on SrTiO3 substrates using pulsed laser deposition, achieving high purity, epitaxy, and superconducting critical temperatures above 17K.

Contribution

It demonstrates optimal deposition conditions for epitaxial FeSe0.5Te0.5 films with enhanced superconducting properties on SrTiO3 substrates.

Findings

Epitaxial growth with c axis perpendicular to the surface

Superconducting critical temperature above 17K

Films exhibit metallic behavior across the temperature range

Abstract

Superconducting epitaxial FeSe0.5Te0.5 thin films were prepared on SrTiO3 (001) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The high purity of the phase, the quality of the growth and the epitaxy were studied with different experimental techniques: X-rays diffraction, reflection high energy electron diffraction, scanning tunnelling microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The substrate temperature during the deposition was found to be the main parameter governing sample morphology and superconducting critical temperature. Films obtained in the optimal conditions show an epitaxial growth with c axis perpendicular to the film surface and the a and b axis parallel to the substrates one, without the evidence of any other orientation. Moreover, such films show a metallic behavior over the whole measured temperature range and critical temperature above 17K, which is higher than the target one.