Effect of Co2N impurity on the superconducting properties of δ-MoN thin films grown by polymer assisted deposition

We report the effect of Co2N impurity on the superconducting properties of delta-MoN thin films grown by polymer-assisted deposition on c-cut sapphire (Al2O3). The films show a superconducting transition temperature of 10.4 K and an upper critical field H-c2(0) perpendicular to the film surface around 3 T. The latter corresponds to a relatively large coherence length xi, which enhances the two-dimensional limit when the magnetic field is applied parallel to the film surface. In comparison with pure delta-MoN films, the inclusion of Co2N impurity in the delta-MoN films could significantly modify the critical current density at the vortex-free state. The ability to tune the superconducting properties of metal-nitride superconductors by introducing chemically and structurally compatible impurity may find potential applications for superconducting single-photon detectors.

Automated summary

The presence of Co2N impurity in δ-MoN thin films significantly affects the superconducting properties, particularly altering the critical current density. This ability to modify the superconducting properties by introducing compatible impurities may have potential applications in superconducting single-photon detectors.