Epitaxial growth of superconducting Fe(Te, Se) films on a threefold magnetic material with Hybrid symmetry.*

Fe(Te, Se), FTS, thin films have received significant attention since superconductivity was observed in bulk FTS crystals. Typically, because of the fourfold inherent to FTS, it is required for substrates to possess fourfold in-plane symmetry to facilitate the epitaxial growth of FTS films. However, a recent discovery highlights the potential for the epitaxial growth of superconducting FTS films on materials with a threefold symmetry. This unique occurrence is attributed to the uncommon uniaxial lattice match between FTS and an underneath material, a phenomenon referred to as hybrid symmetry epitaxy.  

Here, we present our findings on the structural characterization of FTS thin films grown epitaxially on a magnetic material with threefold symmetry and transport properties of heterostructure comprising a fourfold superconductor and a threefold magnetic material. We believe that this study provides an exciting avenue for investigating the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism.