MgB2 thin films on silicon nitride substrates prepared by an in situ method

Large-area MgB2 thin films were deposited on silicon nitride and sapphire substrates by co-deposition of Mg and B. After a post-annealing in Ar atmosphere at temperatures between 773 and 1173 K depending on the substrate, the films showed a critical temperature higher than 35 K with a transition width less than 0.5 K. The x-ray diffraction pattern suggested a c-axis preferential orientation in films deposited on amorphous substrate. The smooth surface and the good structural properties of these MgB2 films allowed their reproducible patterning by a standard photolithographic process down to dimensions of the order of 10 mum and without a considerable degradation of the superconducting properties.