Speaker
Description
In order to achieve the performance required for the Future Circular Collider (FCC) Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cavities, new superconducting thin films are being investigated. The functionality of the cavities are particularly dependent upon the reliability of these films at the micro and nanoscale. Therefore, in order to gain insight into their characteristics, the advanced capabilities of CERN’s recently acquired Focused Ion Beam (FIB) – Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) have been exploited.
Analysis of Nb, Ta, Nb3Sn and V3Si thin films produced using high-power impulse and direct current magnetron sputtering has been performed through FIB cross sectional milling, scanning transmission electron microscopy, transmission energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and ring-core residual stress analysis. This experimentation has revealed the impact of different coating temperatures, pressures and voltages on the films and has facilitated optimisation of the new manufacturing approaches in order to produce more reliable and better quality coatings.
Along with an overview of the capabilities of the FIB-SEM system, the results of this investigation will be compared to other recent superconducting thin film studies. The influence of the microstructure and topology of the substrate material will also be discussed.
