Microstructure and superconducting properties of Pb thin films deposited by conventional thermal evaporation at low temperatures

• Grant number: 22/09792-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2022
• End date: September 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Maycon Motta
• Grantee: Caio Cesar Quaglio Gomes
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Device miniaturization has stimulated research in the area of thin films. Then, mastering a deposition technique to obtain high-quality thin films can help to develop applications using superconducting thin films, for instance. Thus, this project aims to prepare superconducting Pb films with different deposition rates and with the substrate kept at different temperatures during growth. For this, a Python program will be implemented to control the deposition temperature of the specimens. These films will be characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to verify the obtained phase and its microstructural uniformity. The magnetic characterization will be carried out by quantitative magneto-optical imaging (MOI) and magnetometry, seeking to identify basic superconducting properties, such as the critical temperature and the maximum current density the film can support in the superconducting state, known as critical current density.