Chemical control of interstitial iron leading to superconductivity in Fe1+xTe0.7Se0.3

Abstract

Although it possesses the simple layered topology of the tetragonal anti-PO structure, the Fe(Te,Se) series has a complex structural and magnetic phase diagram that is dependent on composition and occupancy of a secondary interstitial Fe site. Here we show that superconductivity in Fe₁₊xTe_0.7Se_0.3 is enhanced by topotactic deintercalation of the interstitial iron with iodine, demonstrating the competing roles of the two iron positions. We follow the evolution of the structure and magnetic properties as a function of interstitial iron. Powder neutron diffraction reveals a flattening of the Fe(Te,Se)₄ tetrahedron on Fe removal and an unusual temperature dependence of the lattice parameters that increases strongly below 150 K along with lattice strain. Inelastic neutron scattering shows gapless paramagnetic scattering evolves into a gapped excitation at 6 meV on removal of interstitial iron. This work highlights the robustness of the superconductivity across different Fe(Te,Se) compositions and geometries.