AIP Advances (Apr 2015)

Impact of thickness on microscopic and macroscopic properties of Fe-Te-Se superconductor thin films

  • N. Zhang,
  • J. O. Wang,
  • T. Lei,
  • C. Liu,
  • S. H. Zhang,
  • H. J. Qian,
  • R. Wu,
  • H. Zhou,
  • H. Q. Wang,
  • J. C. Zheng,
  • H. Z. Guo,
  • L. Yan,
  • K. Ibrahim

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4919695
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 4
pp. 047149 – 047149-12

Abstract

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A series of iron based Fe-Te-Se superconductor thin films depositing on 0.7wt% Nb-doped SrTiO3 at substrate temperatures in the 250°C -450°C range by pulsed laser ablation of a constituents well defined precursor FeTe0.55Se0.55 target sample. We study the possible growth mechanism and its influence on the superconductor properties. Experimental results indicate the superconductive and non-superconductive properties are modulated only by the thickness of the thin films through the temperature range. The films appear as superconductor whenever the thickness is above a critical value ∼30nm and comes to be non-superconductor below this value. Relative ratios of Fe to (Te+Se) in the films retained Fe/(Te+Se)1 for non-superconductor no matter what the film growth temperature was. The effect of film growth temperature takes only the role of modulating the ratio of Te/Se and improving crystallinity of the systems. According to the experimental results we propose a sandglass film growth mechanism in which the interfacial effect evokes to form a Fe rich area at the interface and Se or Te starts off a consecutive filling up process of chalcogenide elements defect sides, the process is significant before the film thickness reaches at ∼30nm.