Abstract
Of all of the presently known superconducting materials, only a few have critical temperatures (Tc) of 15 K or higher. We have been investigating the properties of sputtered thin films of several of these highest Tc materials, including Nb3Ge, NbN, Mo−Re, Nb−Sn, and Nb−Ga, among others. It has been found that these films occasionally have enhanced Tc compared to bulk samples. Most notable of these are Nb3Ge films which have the highest presently known Tc (∠23 K). In addition, the sputtered films often exhibit superior current and magnetic field characteristics. All of these thin film results are reviewed together with x−ray and electron microscope results, which indicate that the enhanced properties of the films are due to both structural and compositional differences between thin film and bulk samples.
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