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Title: Room temperature deposition of superconducting niobium nitride films by ion beam assisted sputtering

Journal Article · · APL Materials
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5031904 · OSTI ID:1466282
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [2]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [4];  [4]; ORCiD logo [5];  [6]
  1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Physics Division; Drexel Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States). Dept. of Physics
  2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Materials Science Division
  3. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). High Energy Physics Division
  4. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Physics Division
  5. Drexel Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States). Dept. of Physics. Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
  6. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Physics Division. Materials Science Division

We use room temperature ion beam assisted sputtering to deposit niobium nitride thin films. Electrical and structural characterizations were performed by electric transport and magnetization measurements at variable temperatures, X-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy. Compared to reactive sputtering of niobium nitride, films sputtered in the presence of an ion beam show a remarkable increase in the superconducting critical temperature Tc, while exhibiting lower sensitivity to nitrogen concentration during deposition. Thickness dependence of the superconducting critical temperature is comparable to films prepared by conventional methods at high substrate temperatures and is consistent with behavior driven by quantum size effects or weak localization.

Research Organization:
Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Center for Complex Materials from First Principles (CCM); Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Drexel Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP) (SC-26); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357; SC0012575
OSTI ID:
1466282
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1461926
Journal Information:
APL Materials, Journal Name: APL Materials Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 6; ISSN 2166-532X
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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