Unabridged phase diagram for single-phased FeSe(x)Te(1-x) thin films.

A complete phase diagram and its corresponding physical properties are essential prerequisites to understand the underlying mechanism of iron-based superconductivity. For the structurally simplest 11 (FeSeTe) system, earlier attempts using bulk samples have not been able to do so due to the fabrication difficulties. Here, thin FeSe(x)Te(1-x) films with the Se content covering the full range (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) were fabricated by using pulsed laser deposition method. Crystal structure analysis shows that all films retain the tetragonal structure in room temperature. Significantly, the highest superconducting transition temperature (T(C) = 20 K) occurs in the newly discovered domain, i.e., 0.6 ≤ x ≤ 0.8. The single-phased superconducting dome for the full Se doping range is the first of its kind in iron chalcogenide superconductors. Our results present a new avenue to explore novel physics as well as to optimize superconductors.

Synthesis and characterization of self-assembled c-axis oriented Bi2Sr3Co2O(y) thin films by the sol-gel method.

Bi(2)Sr(3)Co(2)O(y) thin films are prepared on SrTiO(3) (100), (110) and (111) single crystal substrates using the sol-gel method. All the thin films are c-axis oriented regardless of the orientation of the substrate suggesting self-assembled c-axis orientation, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results give evidence of coexistence of Co(3+) and Co(2+) ions in the derived films. Transmission electronic microscopy observations reveal that all samples are c-axis oriented with no obvious differences for different samples, and the c-axis lattice constant is determined as ~15 Å suggesting the misfit structure. A phenomenological thermodynamic phase diagram for self-assembled c-axis orientation is established for misfit cobaltate-based films using chemical solution deposition. All samples behave like semiconductors due to the coexistence of Co(3+)/Co(2+) ions, and the resistivity at 350 K is ~47, 39 and 17 mΩ cm for the thin films on SrTiO(3) (100), (110) and (111), respectively, whereas the Seebeck coefficient at 300 K is 97, 89 and 77 µV K(-1). The successful attainment of Bi(2)Sr(3)Co(2)O(y) thin films with self-assembled c-axis orientation will provide an effective prototype for investigation of growth mechanisms in complex oxide thin films with a misfit structure.