Growth of superconducting NdFe

Metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and post-deposition arsenic diffusion processes were successfully employed to grow superconducting NdFe0.88Co0.12AsO thin films. First, by employing iron, cobalt and neodymium metal-organic precursors, a precursor film is grown by MOCVD on (001)-oriented LaAlO3 substrates. Subsequently, the arsenic is incorporated during an annealing of these precursor films in the presence of a NdFe0.9Co0.1AsO pellet. The chemical composition and crystallographic results indicate the formation of the cobalt-doped NdFeAsO polycrystalline phase. The secondary ion mass spectroscopy indicates a homogeneous arsenic diffusion process. The resistance and magnetization measurements as a function of temperature indicate a superconducting transition ${\sim}15\ \text{K}$