  We performed observations of the Sco-Cen F star HD 117214 aiming at a search
for planetary companions and the characterization of the debris disk structure.
HD 117214 was observed with the SPHERE subsystems IRDIS, IFS and ZIMPOL at
optical and near-IR wavelengths using angular and polarimetric differential
imaging techniques. This provided the first images of scattered light from the
debris disk with a spatial resolution reaching 25 mas and an inner working
angle $< 0.1''$. With the observations with IRDIS and IFS we derive detection
limits for substellar companions. The geometrical parameters of the detected
disk are constrained by fitting 3D models for the scattering of an optically
thin dust disk. Investigating the possible origin of the disk gap, we
introduced putative planets therein and modeled the planet-disk and
planet-planet dynamical interactions. The obtained planetary architectures are
compared with the detection limit curves. The debris disk has an axisymmetric
ring structure with a radius of $0.42(\pm 0.01)''$ or $\sim45$ au and an
inclination of $71(\pm 2.5)^\circ$ and exhibits a $0.4''$ ($\sim40$ au) wide
inner cavity. From the polarimetric data, we derive a polarized flux contrast
for the disk of $(F_{\rm pol})_{\rm disk}/F_{\rm \ast}> (3.1 \pm 1.2)\cdot
10^{-4}$ in the RI band. The fractional scattered polarized flux of the disk is
eight times smaller than the fractional infrared flux excess. This ratio is
similar to the one obtained for the debris disk HIP 79977 indicating that dust
radiation properties are not very different between these two disks. Inside the
disk cavity we achieve the high sensitivity limits on planetary companions with
a mass down to $\sim 4 M_{\rm J}$ at projected radial separations between
$0.2''$ and $0.4''$. We can exclude the stellar companions at a radial
separation larger than 75 mas from the star.
