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arXiv · 2402.09349

Monoclinic LaSb$_2$ Superconducting Thin Films

Adrian Llanos·Giovanna Campisi·Veronica Show·Jinwoong Kim·Reiley Dorrian·Salva Salmani-Rezaie·Nicholas Kioussis·Joseph Falson
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Abstract

Rare-earth diantimondes exhibit coupling between structural and electronic orders which are tunable under pressure and temperature. Here we present the discovery of a new polymorph of LaSb$_2$ stabilized in thin films synthesized using molecular beam epitaxy. Using diffraction, electron microscopy, and first principles calculations we identify a YbSb$_2$-type monoclinic lattice as a yet-uncharacterized stacking configuration. The material hosts superconductivity with a $T_\mathrm{c}$ = 2 K, which is enhanced relative to the bulk ambient phase, and a long superconducting coherence length of 140 nm. This result highlights the potential thin film growth has in stabilizing novel stacking configurations in quasi-two dimensional compounds with competing layered structures.

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Adrian Llanos, Giovanna Campisi, Veronica Show, Jinwoong Kim, Reiley Dorrian, Salva Salmani-Rezaie, Nicholas Kioussis, Joseph Falson. 2024-02-14. Monoclinic LaSb$_2$ Superconducting Thin Films. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c01068

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