Growth and transport properties of FeSe/FeTe superlattice thin films

Superlattice thin films composed of iron chalcogenides, FeSe and FeTe, were grown via pulsed laser deposition. The X-ray diffraction patterns show clear satellite peaks demonstrating periodic stacking structures of FeSe and FeTe. The FeTe layers have the a-axis lengths identical to those of the FeSe layers, indicating that the FeTe layers are coherently strained to the underlying FeSe. The superlattice films show superconducting transition temperatures higher than FeSe, and more importantly the superconductivity emerged in several-unit-cell-thick layers. Our results demonstrate that the strained superlattice technique is a useful tool to control superconducting properties of Fe(Se,Te) thin films.