Superconductivity above 30 K due to the introduction of oxygen in CaFeAsF

Abstract

Exploring new unconventional superconductors is of great value for both fundamental research and practical applications. It is a long-term challenge to develop and study more hole-doped superconductors in the 1111 system of iron-based superconductors. Here we report the discovery of superconductivity with a critical transition temperature up to 30.7 K in the compound CaFeAsF by a post-annealing treatment in an air atmosphere. The superconducting behaviors are verified in both the single-crystalline and polycrystalline samples by the resistance and magnetization measurements. The analysis by combining the depth-resolved time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements shows that the introduction of oxygen and the consequent change in Fe valence by the annealing treatment may lead to hole-type doping, which is the origin of the occurrence of superconductivity. Our results pave the way for further in-depth investigations on the hole-doped 1111 system in iron-based superconductors.