Linear nonsaturating magnetoresistance and superconductivity in epitaxial thin films of YbSb 2

Rare-earth diantimonides display intriguing ground states often associated with structural order, which can be manipulated in thin-film geometries. In this study, we report epitaxial synthesis of one such compound, ${\mathrm{YbSb}}₂$, on III-V substrates using molecular-beam epitaxy. The synthesized thin films exhibit large, nonsaturating, linear magnetoresistance across a wide magnetic field range. Additionally, they demonstrate superconducting properties, with a critical temperature of $\ensuremath{\approx}1.025$ K and a critical field of $\ensuremath{\approx}83.85$ Oe, consistent with the reports in bulk single crystals. While ${\mathrm{YbSb}}₂$ has been classified as a type-I superconductor in its bulk form, our findings provide evidence of a mixed state in the epitaxial thin films. This work demonstrates the realization of an epitaxial superconductor-semiconductor hybrid system and paves the way for controlling the electronic ground state in rare-earth diantimonides through thin-film engineering.