Amir Farhood (Technical University of Darmstadt)
Towards Nb3Sn coated copper cavities for energy efficient SRF applications
Superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities which are made from bulk niobium and operated at cryogenic temperatures around 2 K, are essential components in modern particle accelerators. Due to the sustainability issues related to niobium, which is considered a critical metal, and the huge power consumption of accelerator facilities, the community has discussed alternative high(er)-temperature superconductors for many years. Recent advances in Nb₃Sn thin film technology have revitalized this discussion. In particular, the ability to coat copper with high-quality Nb₃Sn surface layers has sparked hope that we can finally move beyond conventional niobium technology. We have demonstrated that a specific magnetron co-sputtering process enables the synthesis of fully superconducting Nb₃Sn, even at low temperatures, where copper diffusion can be disregarded. When coating sapphire substrates, we achieve critical temperatures (Tc) of 17.9 K. The same process (i.e. without post-annealing) on copper yields Tc values of around 15 K and lower critical fields of approximately 200 mT at 4 K. Moving beyond flat substrates, we coated a higher order mode (HOM) antenna — a three-dimensional, mushroom-like object — with Nb₃Sn, achieving similar Tc values at all positions on its surface. We anticipate that, by 2030, Nb₃Sn-coated copper cavities will surpass the quality factor of standard Nb bulk cavities.
Poster: TUP30