Thermodynamic and transport properties of the non-centrosymmetric superconductor LaBiPt

The semimetallic half-Heusler alloy LaBiPt crystallizes in the non-centrosymmetric space group F (4) over bar 3m. We discovered superconductivity in this material below T-c approximate to 0.9K as evidenced by resistivity and magnetization measurements. The occurrence of superconductivity in LaBiPt is remarkable in view of its extremely low charge carrier concentration of n = 6 x 1018 cm(-3). The charge carrier concentration is 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than in the classical low-carrier-density superconductors GeTe, SnTe and n-doped SrTiO3. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.