Induction of high-temperature superconductivity in pulsed laser ablated La2CuO4 thin films by room temperature chemical oxidation

Facile fabrication of high‐temperature superconducting La2CuO4 thin films through the combination of two seemingly disparate techniques is reported. Pulsed laser ablation is used to produce stoichiometric, c‐axis oriented La2CuO4 thin films −3700 Å in thickness. The convenient method of controlled room‐temperature chemical oxidation using aqueous sodium bromite is then utilized to introduce excess holes in the valance band of La2CuO4. This induces superconductivity in the otherwise antiferromagnetic semiconductor.