Superconductivity in 112-phase LaPd_xSb₂ thin films

The 112-type of Pnictides are relatively new, which has gained significant attention in the recent times after the observation of high-T_c in (Ca,La)FeAs₂. It has been predicted that replacing As by Sb might lead to much higher T_c. This will provide lesser toxicity by removing As and will help understanding the role of the Pnictogen atom (Sb, Bi) in the superconductivity of the Pnictide systems. In this work, we report the epitaxial growth of As free and phase pure thin films of the 112-pnictide compounds LaPd_xSb₂ grown onto (100) MgO substrates by molecular beam epitaxy technique. Single crystalline phases were found to grow between a substrate temperature range of 440 - 520 °C. X-ray diffraction, reflection high-energy electron diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements confirm the HfCuSi₂ structure of the material with a peculiar pnictogen square net layer