X-ray scattering investigation of hydride surface segregation in epitaxial Nb films
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866910912497057792 |
|---|---|
| author | Garcia-Wetten, David A. Ryan, Philip J. Kim, Jong Woo Goronzy, Dominic P Reinertsen, Roger J. Hersam, Mark C. Bedzyk, Michael J. |
| author_facet | Garcia-Wetten, David A. Ryan, Philip J. Kim, Jong Woo Goronzy, Dominic P Reinertsen, Roger J. Hersam, Mark C. Bedzyk, Michael J. |
| contents | Hydride precipitation in niobium-based, superconducting circuits is a damaging side-effect of hydrofluoric acid treatments used to clean and thin the Nb surface oxides and Si oxides. The precipitate microstructure is difficult to probe because of the high hydrogen mobility in the niobium matrix. In particular, destructive techniques used to prepare samples for elemental depth profiling can change the hydride structure. Here, we use X-ray surface scattering to non-destructively probe the depth distribution of precipitates in hydrided, epitaxial, niobium thin films. We find that the niobium hydride is confined within the top ten nm of the surface. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_11573 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | X-ray scattering investigation of hydride surface segregation in epitaxial Nb films Garcia-Wetten, David A. Ryan, Philip J. Kim, Jong Woo Goronzy, Dominic P Reinertsen, Roger J. Hersam, Mark C. Bedzyk, Michael J. Materials Science Hydride precipitation in niobium-based, superconducting circuits is a damaging side-effect of hydrofluoric acid treatments used to clean and thin the Nb surface oxides and Si oxides. The precipitate microstructure is difficult to probe because of the high hydrogen mobility in the niobium matrix. In particular, destructive techniques used to prepare samples for elemental depth profiling can change the hydride structure. Here, we use X-ray surface scattering to non-destructively probe the depth distribution of precipitates in hydrided, epitaxial, niobium thin films. We find that the niobium hydride is confined within the top ten nm of the surface. |
| title | X-ray scattering investigation of hydride surface segregation in epitaxial Nb films |
| topic | Materials Science |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.11573 |