Enhanced growth mechanism and superconducting properties of V3Si layers formed by sputter-deposited V films on SiO2 substrates

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Abstract
An enhanced growth of V3Si layers by rf‐sputter deposition of V films on fused silica substrates held at temperatures between ∼350 and ∼850 °C has been found. The growth rate at 500 °C shows a (time)1/2 dependence and is as high as ∼1.8×10−14 cm2/sec. The activation energy is estimated to be as low as ∼1 eV. The enhanced growth is attributed to the formation of intermediate V‐Si‐O layers and to the presence of lattice defects induced in the V films by the sputter‐deposition process. The superconducting transition onset temperatures of the V3Si increases with increasing thickness up to 16.9 K. The layers formed at 500 and at 600 °C have critical current densities of (2–7)×105 A/cm2 at 4.2 K in applied magnetic fields lower than 35 kOe. These layers show different angular dependences of critical currents with respect to field direction. This difference is related to the different growth morphologies of the V3Si layers.