Superconductivity and properties of FeTeOx films

Films of the parent compound FeTe can be made superconducting via the addition of interstitial oxygen. The process is reversible. We have characterized the new superconductors with a variety of experiments. X-ray diffraction shows that the superconductor has the same overall structure but a small lattice constant change compared to pure FeTe. X-ray absorption shows that superconducting FeTeOx has a nominal valence of 3+. DFT calculations show the most likely position for interstitial oxygen and confirm that such oxygen incorporation does not produce a large change in structure.