ABSTRACT
LaFeO1−xFx with Tc = 26 K was reported in early 2008. Since then, more than 4,000 papers have been published and the maximum
Tc reached 56 K, which is next to high-Tc cuprates. Iron-based superconductors have several unique propertiesmostly arising from
their multi-orbital nature. The presence of a vast number of parent
materials is a characteristic of this system. This chapter describes
the background research to the discovery, the crystal structure and
properties of parent materials, and growth of the single crystals and
epitaxial thin films.
