X. H. Zeng

In situ epitaxial MgB2 thin films for superconducting electronics

The newly discovered 39-K superconductor MgB21 holds great promise for superconducting electronics. Like the conventional superconductor Nb, MgB2 is a phonon-mediated superconductor2, with a relatively long coherence length3. These properties make the prospect of fabricating reproducible uniform Josephson junctions, the fundamental element of superconducting circuits, much more favourable for MgB2 than for high-temperature superconductors. The higher transition temperature and larger energy gap4,5 of MgB2 promise higher operating temperatures and potentially higher speeds than Nb-based integrated circuits. However, success in MgB2 Josephson junctions has been limited because of the lack of an adequate thin-film technology6,7. Because a superconducting integrated circuit uses a multilayer of superconducting, insulating and resistive films, an in situ process in which MgB2 is formed directly on the substrate is desirable. Here we show that this can be achieved by hybrid physical–chemical vapour deposition. The epitaxially grown MgB2 films show a high transition temperature and low resistivity, comparable to the best bulk samples, and their surfaces are smooth. This advance removes a major barrier for superconducting electronics using MgB2.

Effects of very thin strain layers on dielectric properties of epitaxial Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 films

We have epitaxially grown Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 (BST-0.4) thin films on MgO(001) substrates. By inserting a very thin Ba1−xSrxTiO3 (x=0.1–0.7) interlayer between the MgO substrate and the main layer of BST-0.4, we are able to manipulate the degree of the stress in BST-0.4 films. We have controlled the stress states, i.e., the lattice distortion ratio (D=in-plane lattice constant/out-of-plane lattice constant) of the BST-0.4 films by varying the chemical composition of the interlayers. We have found that small variations of D value can result in significantly large changes of dielectric properties. A BST-0.4 film under small tensile stress, which has a D value of 1.0023, shows the largest dielectric permittivity and tunability.

Superconducting MgB2 thin films on silicon carbide substrates by hybrid physical–chemical vapor deposition

We have used two polytypes of silicon carbide single crystals, 4H-SiC and 6H-SiC, as the substrates for MgB2 thin films grown by hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition (HPCVD). The c-cut surface of both polytypes has a hexagonal lattice that matches closely with that of MgB2. Thermodynamic calculations indicate that SiC is chemically stable under the in situ deposition conditions for MgB2 using HPCVD. The MgB2 films on both polytypes show high-quality epitaxy with a Rutherford backscattering channeling yield of 12%. They have Tc above 40 K, low resistivities, high residual resistivity ratios, and high critical current densities. The results demonstrate that SiC is an ideal substrate for MgB2 thin films.

Superconducting properties of nanocrystalline MgB2 thin films made by an in situ annealing process

We have studied the structural and superconducting properties of MgB2 thin films made by pulsed-laser deposition followed by in situ annealing. The cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy reveals a nanocrystalline mixture of textured MgO and MgB2 with very small grain sizes. A zero-resistance transition temperature (Tc0) of 34 K and a zero-field critical current density (Jc) of 1.3×106 A/cm2 were obtained. The irreversibility field was ∼8 T at low temperatures, although severe pinning instability was observed. The result is a step towards making the in situ deposition process a viable technique for MgB2 Josephson junction technologies.

Critical current density and resistivity of MgB2 films

The high resistivity of many bulk and film samples of MgB2 is most readily explained by the suggestion that only a fraction of the cross-sectional area of the samples is effectively carrying current. Hence, the supercurrent (Jc) in such samples will be limited by the same area factor, arising for example from porosity or from insulating oxides present at the grain boundaries. We suggest that a correlation should exist, Jc∝1/Δρ300–50 K, where Δρ300–50 K is the change in the apparent resistivity from 300 to 50 K. We report measurements of ρ(T) and Jc for a number of films made by hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition which demonstrate this correlation, although the “reduced effective area” argument alone is not sufficient. We suggest that this argument can also apply to many polycrystalline bulk and wire samples of MgB2.

Hole doping dependence of the coherence length in La2 − xSrxCuO4 thin films

By measuring the field and temperature dependence of magnetization on systematically doped La2 − xSrxCuO4 thin films, the critical current density jc(0) and the collective pinning energy Up(0) are determined in single-vortex creep regime. Together with the published data of superfluid density, condensation energy and anisotropy, for the first time we derive the doping dependence of the coherence length or vortex core size in wide-doping regime directly from the low-temperature data. It is found that the coherence length drops in the underdoped region and increases in the overdoped side with the increase of hole concentration. The result in the underdoped region clearly prevents from taking the pseudogap energy scale as the upper critical field.

Thermodynamics and thin film deposition of MgB2 superconductors

The recently discovered superconductor MgB2 with Tc at 39 K has great potential in superconducting microelectronics. Thermodynamics studies with the calculation of phase diagrams (CALPHAD) modelling technique show that due to the high volatility of Mg, MgB2 is only thermodynamically stable under fairly high Mg overpressures for likely in situ growth temperatures. This provides a helpful insight into the appropriate processing conditions for MgB2 thin films, including the identification of the pressure–temperature region for adsorption-controlled growth. The initial MgB2 thin films were made by pulsed laser deposition followed by in situ annealing. The cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy reveals a nanocrystalline mixture of textured MgO and MgB2 with very small grain sizes. A zero-resistance transition temperature of 34 K and a zero-field critical current density of 1.3 × 106 A cm−2 were obtained. The qualities of these films are limited by the thermodynamic stability conditions, which favour deposition techniques that can maintain a high flux of Mg.

Progress in the deposition of MgB2 thin films

An MgB2 thin film deposition technology is the first critical step in the development of superconducting electronics utilizing the 39 K superconductor. It turned out to be a challenging task due to the volatility of Mg and phase stability of MgB2, the low sticking coefficients of Mg at elevated temperatures, and the reactivity of Mg with oxygen. A brief overview of current deposition techniques is provided here from a thermodynamic perspective, with an emphasis on a very successful technique for high quality in situ epitaxial MgB2 films, the hybrid physical–chemical vapour deposition. Examples of heterostructures of MgB2 with other materials are also presented.

In situ growth of MgB/sub 2/ thin films by hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition

We have carried out thermodynamics studies of the Mg-B system with the calculation of phase diagrams (CALPHAD) modeling technique and found that the superconductor MgB/sub 2/ phase is thermodynamically stable only under fairly high Mg pressures at elevated temperatures. This has lead us to the investigation of chemical vapor deposition in which the pressure during the film deposition can be high. Although the initial effort on metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) was not successful due to carbon contamination, a unique hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition (HPCVD) technique has successfully produced high quality in situ MgB/sub 2/ films. The epitaxially-grown MgB/sub 2/ films show high transition temperature and low resistivity comparable to the best bulk samples, and their surfaces are smooth. In this paper, the details of the technique and the results of the HPCVD films are presented.

Deposition and Properties of Superconducting MgB2 Thin Films

The recently discovered superconductor MgB2 with Tc at 39 K has great potential in superconducting electronics. In this paper, we review the deposition techniques used for MgB2 thin films in the light of a thermodynamic study of the Mg-B system with the calculation of phase diagrams (CALPHAD) modeling technique. This thermodynamic study identifies a growth window in the pressure–temperature phase diagram, in which the magnesium pressure is very high for likely in situ growth temperatures. A Hybrid Physical–Chemical Vapor Deposition (HPCVD) technique that successfully achieves such a high Mg pressure is shown to produce in situ epitaxial MgB2 thin films with bulk superconducting properties.