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Register a new userAnalysis of Nb3Sn surface layers for superconducting RF cavity applications
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We present an analysis of the Nb3Sn surface layers grown on a bulk niobium (Nb) coupon prepared at the same time and by the same vapor diffusion process used to make Nb3Sn coatings on 1.3 GHz cavities. Tunneling spectroscopy reveals a well-developed, homogeneous superconducting density of states at the surface with a gap value distribution centered around 2.7 meV and superconducting critical temperature (Tc) up to 16.3 K. Scanning Electron microscopy (STEM) performed on cross section of the samples surface region shows a 2 microns thick Nb3Sn surface layer. The elemental composition map exhibits a Nb over Sn ratio of 3 and reveals the presence of buried sub-stoichiometric regions that have a ratio f 5. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiments indicate a polycrystalline Nb3Sn film and confirm the presence of Nb rich regions that occupy about a third of the coating volume. These low Tc regions could play an important role in the dissipation mechanism occurring during RF tests of Nb3Sn-coated cavities and open the way for further improving a very promising alternative to pure Nb cavities for particle accelerators.
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In this work we investigate superconducting properties of niobium samples via application of the muon spin rotation/relaxation (muSR) technique. We employ for the first time the muSR technique to study samples that are cutout from large and small grain 1.5 GHz radio frequency (RF) single cell niobium cavities. The RF test of these cavities was accompanied by full temperature mapping to characterize the RF losses in each of the samples. Results of the muSR measurements show that standard cavity surface treatments like mild baking and buffered chemical polishing (BCP) performed on the studied samples affect their surface pinning strength. We find an interesting correlation between high field RF losses and field dependence of the sample magnetic volume fraction measured via muSR. The muSR line width observed in ZF-muSR measurements matches the behavior of Nb samples doped with minute amounts of Ta or N impurities. An upper bound for the upper critical field Hc2 of these cutouts is found.
We report an atomic-scale analysis of the microstructure of Nb3Sn coating on Nb prepared by vapor diffusion process for superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavity application using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Epitaxial growth of Nb3Sn on the Nb substrate is found and four types of orientation relationships at the Nb3Sn/Nb interface are identified by electron diffraction or high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) analysis. Thin Nb3Sn grains are observed in regions with low Sn flux and they have the specific orientation relationship, Nb3Sn (1-20)//Nb (-111) and Nb3Sn (002)//Nb (0-11). The Nb3Sn/Nb interface of thin grains had a large lattice mismatch, 12.3 at.%, and a high density of misfit dislocations was observed by HR-STEM. Based on our microstructural analysis of the thin grains, we conclude that the thin regions are probably a result of a slow interfacial reaction with this particular orientation relationship at the interface. The Sn-deficient regions are seen to form initially at the Nb3Sn/Nb interface and remain in the grains due to the slow diffusion of Sn in bulk Nb3Sn. The formation of Sn-deficient regions and the effects of strain and interfacial energies on the formation of Sn-deficient regions at various interfaces were also estimated by first-principle calculation. The finding of orientation relationships at the Nb3Sn/Nb interface provides important information about the formation of defects in Nb3Sn coatings such as large thin regions, Sn-deficient regions, which are critical to the performance of Nb3Sn superconducting radiofrequency cavities for accelerators.
We report on atomic-scale analyses of grain boundary (GB) structures and segregation in Nb3Sn coatings on Nb, prepared by the vapor-diffusion process, for superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavity applications, utilizing atom-probe tomography, high-resolution scanning transmission electron-microscopy and first-principles calculations. We demonstrate that the chemical composition of Nb3Sn GBs is correlated strongly with the diffusion of Sn and Nb at GBs during the coating process. In a sample coated with a relatively large Sn flux, we observe an interfacial width of Sn segregation at a GB of ~3 nm, with a maximum concentration of ~35 at.%. After post-annealing at 1100 oC for 3 h, the Sn segregated at GBs disappears and Nb segregation is observed subsequently at GBs, indicating that Nb diffused into the Nb3Sn GBs from the Nb substrate. It is also demonstrated that the amount of Sn segregation in a Nb3Sn coating can be controlled by: (i) Sn flux; and (ii) the temperatures of the Nb substrates and Sn source, which may affect the overall kinetics including GB diffusion of Sn and Nb. An investigation of the correlation between the chemical compositions of GBs and Nb3Sn SRF cavity performance reveals that the Nb3Sn SRF cavities with the best performance (high-quality factors at high accelerating electric-field gradients) do not exhibit Sn segregation at GBs. Our results suggest that the chemical compositions of GBs in Nb3Sn coatings for SRF cavities can be controlled by GB engineering and can be utilized to optimize fabrication of high-quality Nb3Sn coatings for SRF cavities.
We perform first principles band calculation of the newly discovered superconductor LaO$_{1-x}$F$_x$BiS$_2$, and study the lattice structure and the fluorine doping dependence of the gap between the valence and conduction bands. We find that the distance between La and S as well as the fluorine doping significantly affects the band gap. On the other hand, the four orbital model of the BiS$_2$ layer shows that the lattice structure does not affect this portion of the band. Still, the band gap can affect the carrier concentration in the case of light electron doping, which in turn should affect the transport properties.
We study mechanisms of vortex nucleation in Nb$_3$Sn Superconducting RF (SRF) cavities using a combination of experimental, theoretical, and computational methods. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) image and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) of some Nb$_3$Sn cavities show Sn segregation at grain boundaries in Nb$_3$Sn with Sn concentration as high as $sim$35 at.% and widths $sim$3 nm in chemical composition. Using ab initio calculations, we estimate the effect excess tin has on the local superconducting properties of the material. We model Sn segregation as a lowering of the local critical temperature. We then use time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory to understand the role of segregation on magnetic vortex nucleation. Our simulations indicate that the grain boundaries act as both nucleation sites for vortex penetration and pinning sites for vortices after nucleation. Depending on the magnitude of the applied field, vortices may remain pinned in the grain boundary or penetrate the grain itself. We estimate the superconducting losses due to vortices filling grain boundaries and compare with observed performance degradation with higher magnetic fields. We estimate that the quality factor may decrease by an order of magnitude ($10^{10}$ to $10^9$) at typical operating fields if 0.03% of the grain boundaries actively nucleate vortices. We additionally estimate the volume that would need to be filled with vortices to match experimental observations of cavity heating.
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