Sputtered films of superconducting SmRh/sub 4/B/sub 4/

Journal Article · Thu Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1984 · Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.30.5095· OSTI ID:6156901

Zasadzinski, J; Terris, B D; Gray, K E; Vaglio, R; Hinks, D G

Films of the coexistent antiferromagnetic superconductor SmRh/sub 4/B/sub 4/ have been made by sputtering. These films have been characterized by x-rays and superconducting critical temperatures T/sub c/, fields, and currents. Our best films have residual resistance ratios, r/sub R/, as high as or higher than for films of ErRh/sub 4/B/sub 4/ reported in the literature, and the highest T/sub c/ is 2.36 K. We find an anomalous dependence of T/sub c/ on r/sub R/, and offer two possible explanations (proximity-effect and disorder-enhanced spin-flip scattering), as well as propose a radiation-damage experiment to distinguish between these. The antiferromagnetic ordering temperature is shown to decrease with film disorder as does the ferromagnetic ordering temperature in radiation-damaged ErRh/sub 4/B/sub 4/. We find an approximately 1000-A-thick RhAl impurity phase at the sapphire-substrate/film interface which seems to result from a reaction with the substrate. The potential importance of RhAl and trace impurity phases on present measurements and planned tunneling experiments are discussed in detail. Finally, the full critical-field curves are presented along with an explanation of why the low-temperature values are independent of T/sub c/.

• Research Organization: Materials Science and Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6156901
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States) Vol. 30:9; ISSN PRBMD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360204* -- Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories-- Physical Properties
656102 -- Solid State Physics-- Superconductivity-- Acoustic
Electronic
Magnetic
Optical
& Thermal Phenomena-- (-1987)
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
ANTIFERROMAGNETISM
BORIDES
BORON COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
COHERENT SCATTERING
CORUNDUM
CRITICAL FIELD
CRYSTALS
DATA
DIFFRACTION
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FILMS
HIGH VACUUM
IMPURITIES
INFORMATION
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETISM
MINERALS
MONOCRYSTALS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDE MINERALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PROXIMITY EFFECT
RARE EARTH COMPOUNDS
REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS
RHODIUM BORIDES
RHODIUM COMPOUNDS
SAMARIUM BORIDES
SAMARIUM COMPOUNDS
SAPPHIRE
SCATTERING
SPUTTERING
SUBSTRATES
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY
SUPERCONDUCTORS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE
TYPE-II SUPERCONDUCTORS
ULTRALOW TEMPERATURE
X-RAY DIFFRACTION