STRUCTURE AND SUPERCONDUCTING PROPERTIES OF NB-ZR ALLOY-FILMS MADE BY A HIGH-RATE SPUTTERING

Superconducting Nb-Zr alloy films were prepared by continuous high-rate sputtering on tantalum substrates. A deposition rate of 330 nm/min was attained. The compositional profile in the Nb-Zr film was quite uniform and the film had nearly the same composition as that of the target material. The films deposited in a pure argon atmosphere show a columnar structure grown perpendicular to the substrate. The grain size strongly depends on the substrate temperature.