Influence of internal stresses on the superconductivity of nanocrystalline vanadium films

Nanocrystalline vanadium films 7-20 nm thick are obtained by crystallization of amorphous condensates of this metal by heating to a temperature T<60 K. Immediately after completion of the crystallization the critical temperature of the superconducting transition T-c of these films is 3.1-4.3 K. When the films are heated to room temperature in an ultrahigh vacuum the values of T-c decrease by approximate to 0.4 K. It is shown that this decrease is due, in particular, to relief of the tensile stresses that arise in the films during crystallization. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.