Monoclinic LaSb$_2$ Superconducting Thin Films

Abstract

Rare-earth diantimondes exhibit coupling between structural and electronic orders which are tunable under pressure and temperature. Here we present the discovery of a new polymorph of LaSb$_2$ stabilized in thin films synthesized using molecular beam epitaxy. Using diffraction, electron microscopy, and first principles calculations we identify a YbSb$_2$-type monoclinic lattice as a yet-uncharacterized stacking configuration. The material hosts superconductivity with a $T_\mathrm{c}$ = 2 K, which is enhanced relative to the bulk ambient phase, and a long superconducting coherence length of 140 nm. This result highlights the potential thin film growth has in stabilizing novel stacking configurations in quasi-two dimensional compounds with competing layered structures.