• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.1-17
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• 2015

$MgB_2$ thin films with superior superconducting properties are very promising for superconducting magnets, electronic devices and coated conductor electric power applications. A clear understanding of flux pinning mechanism in $MgB_2$ films could be a big aid in improving the performance of $MgB_2$ by the enhancement of $J_c$. The fabrication advancement and the understanding of flux pinning mechanism of $MgB_2$ thin and thick films fabricated by using hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition (HPCVD) are reviewed. The distinct kind of $MgB_2$ films, such as single-crystal like $MgB_2$ thin films, $MgB_2$ epitaxial columnar thick films, and a-axis-oriented $MgB_2$ films are included for flux pinning mechanism investigation. Various attempts made by researchers to improve further the flux pinning property and $J_c$ performance by means of doping in $MgB_2$ thin films by using HPCVD are also summarized.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.35-39
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• 2008

By using the hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition (HPCVD) technique, we have fabricated $MgB_2$ thick films on $Al_{2}O_3$ substrates with various impurity layers of Ni, Ti, and SiC. We have found a significant enhancement of the critical current density ($J_c$) for $MgB_2$ films grown on impurity layered substrates, indicating that additional impurity layers were provided as possible pinning sites by chemical doping in $MgB_2$ films. All samples doped by Ni, Ti, and SiC were observed to have high superconducting transition temperatures of 39 - 41 K. The $J_c$ of $MgB_2$ films grown on SiC impurity layered substrates showed three times higher than that of undoped films at high magnetic fields above 1 T.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.12-15
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• 2013

The pure and carbon (C)-doped $MgB_2$ thin films were fabricated on $Al_2O_3$ (0001) substrates at a temperature of $650^{\circ}C$ by using hot-filament-assisted hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition technique. The $T_c$ value for pure $MgB_2$ film is 38.5 K, while it is between 30 and 35 K for carbon-doped $MgB_2$ films. Expansion in c-axis lattice parameter was observed with increase in carbon doping concentration which is in contrast to carbon-doped $MgB_2$ single crystals. Significant enhancement in the critical current density was obtained for C-doped $MgB_2$ films as compared to the undoped $MgB_2$ film. This enhancement is most probably due to the incorporation of C into $MgB_2$ and the high density of grain boundaries, both help in the pinning of vortices and result in improved superconducting performance.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.30-33
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• 2012

We have grown $MgB_2$ superconducting thin films on the SiC buffer layers by means of hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition (HPCVD) technique. Prior to that, SiC was first deposited on $Al_2O_3$ substrates at various temperatures from room temperature to $600^{\circ}C$ by using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method in a vacuum atmosphere of ${\sim}10^{-6}$ Torr pressure. All samples showed a high transition temperature of ~40 K. The grain boundaries of $MgB_2$ samples with SiC layer are greater in amount, compare to that of the pure $MgB_2$ samples. $MgB_2$ with SiC buffer layer samples show interesting change in the critical current density ($J_c$) values. Generally, at both 5 K and 20 K measurements, at lower magnetic field, all $MgB_2$ films deposited on SiC buffer layers have low $J_c$ values, but when they reach higher magnetic fields of nearly 3.5 Tesla, $J_c$ values are enhanced. $MgB_2$ film with SiC grown at $600^{\circ}C$ has the highest $J_c$ enhancement at higher magnetic fields, while all SiC buffer layer samples exhibit higher $J_c$ values than that of the pure $MgB_2$ films. A change in the grain boundary morphologies of $MgB_2$ films due to SiC buffer layer seems to be responsible for $J_c$ enhancements at high magnetic fields.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.8-12
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• 2009

We investigated the effects of the irradiation of light-ions on the superconducting $MgB_2$ thin films fabricated by using HPCVD. Deuterium and helium ions were irradiated on $MgB_2$ thin films by various doses, from $1{\times}10^{10}cm^{-2}\;to\;8{\times}10^{15}cm^{-2}$. During these experiments some reasonable results and unpredictable results have been obtained. The reasonable results are that the peak of the reduced maximum pinning force shifts by increasing the pinning sites in $MgB_2$ films and the slightly change of critical current density of films. We obtained some unusual results, which are the increasing of the transition temperature and the change of residual resistance ratio. Among the data of deuterium and helium ion irradiation experiments, the results of helium ion irradiation have most notable points so we will discuss mainly about helium irradiation experiments.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2007

We prepared four different $MgB_2$ films on $Al_2O_3$ by hybrid physical chemical vapor deposition method with thicknesses ranging from $0.65\;{\mu}m$ to $1.2\;{\mu}m$. X-ray diffraction patterns confirm that all the $MgB_2$ films are c-axis oriented perpendicular to $Al_2O_3$ substrates. The superconducting onset temperature of $MgB_2$ films were between 39.39K and 40.72K. The residual resistivity ratio of the $MgB_2$ films was in the range between 3.13 and 37.3. We measured the angle dependence of critical current density ($J_c$) and resistivity, and determined the upper critical field ($H_{c2}$) from the temperature dependence of the resistivity curves. The anisotropy ratios defined as the ratio of the $H_{c2}$ parallel to the ab-plane to that perpendicular to the ab-plane were in the range of 2.13 to 4.5 and were increased as the temperature was decreased. Some samples showed increase of $J_c$ and decrease of resistivity when a magnetic field in applied parallel to the c-axis. We interpret this angle dependence in terms of enhanced flux pinning due to columnar growth of $MgB_2$ along the c-axis.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.9-11
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• 2013

We have investigated the effect of thickness of the MgB2 film on the grain growth direction as well as on their superconducting properties. $MgB_2$ films of various thicknesses were fabricated on c-cut $Al_2O_3$ substrates at a temperature of $540^{\circ}C$ by using hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition (HPCVD) technique. The superconducting transition temperature ($T_c$) was found to increase with increase in the thickness of the $MgB_2$ film. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the orientation of grains changed from c-axis to a-axis upon increasing the thickness of the $MgB_2$ film from 0.6 to 2.0 ${\mu}m$. $MgB_2$ grains of various orientations were observed in the microstructures of the films examined by scanning electron microscopy. It is observed that at high magnetic fields the 2.0-${\mu}m$-thick film exhibit considerably larger critical current density ($J_c$) as compared to 0.6-${\mu}m$-thick film. The results are discussed in terms of an intrinsic-pinning in $MgB_2$ similarly as intrinsic-pinning occurring in high-Tc cuprate superconductors with layered structure.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.20-23
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• 2014

We have grown $MgB_2$ on SiC buffer layer by using metallic Hastelloy tape as the substrate. Hastelloy tape was chosen for its potential practical applications, mainly in the power cable industry. SiC buffer layers were deposited on Hastelloy tapes at 400, 500, and $600^{\circ}C$ by using a pulsed laser deposition method, and then by using a hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition technique, $MgB_2$ films were grown on the three different SiC buffer layers. An enhancement of critical current density values were noticed in the $MgB_2$ films on SiC/Hastelloy deposited at 500 and $600^{\circ}C$. From the surface analysis, smaller and denser grains of $MgB_2$ tapes are likely to cause this enhancement. This result infers that the addition of SiC buffer layers may contribute to the improvement of superconducting properties of $MgB_2$ tapes.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.105-108
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• 2004

We have studied effects of in-situ annealing on the fabrication of superconducting MgB$_2$ thin films prepared by rf magnetron co-sputtering. The Films were deposited on A1$_2$O$_3$ (1102) substrates at room temperature by using Mg and B targets. To trap remnant $O_2$ gas in the chamber, we used 20 mtorr Af sputter-gas balanced with 5 mol % of H$_2$ gas. To enhance adhesion to the substrate a thin layer of B was deposited prior to the codeposition of Mg and B. After completion of the film deposition, an additional Mg layer was deposited on top to compensate for Mg loss during the subsequent in-situ annealing. We have investigated the effects of two most important annealing parameters that are the Mg-to-B composition ratio and the annealing temperature. The range of the Mg-to-B composition ratio was from 0.42 to 0.85, and that of the annealing temperature was 500 $^{\circ}C$∼750 $^{\circ}C$. The Best result was obtained for the composition ratio of about 10% Mg excess from the stoichiometry and the annealing temperature of 700 $^{\circ}C$. Based on these results, we obtained films with T$_{c}$ : 36.5 K by further refining the fabrication process.s.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.45-48
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• 2001

We have fabricated $MgB_2$thin films on (1 1 02)$ A1_2$$O_3$substrates by using a two-step method. Amorphous B thin films were deposited by a pulsed laser deposition technique and sintered in Mg vapor at various temperatures from 800 to $950^{\circ}C$. Superconducting properties of the thin films were investigated by temperature dependences of magnetization and critical current density. Structural studies were carried out by an x-ray diffraction and a scanning electron microscope. The films fabricated at $900^{\circ}C$ showed the highest transition temperature of 39 K and critical current density of ~$10^{7}$ A/$\textrm{cm}^2$ at 15 K.