Superconducting MgB sub(2) flowers: growth mechanism and their superconducting properties

• Published in: Superconductor science & technology Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 45015 - 45020
• Main Authors: Seong, Won Kyung, Ranot, Mahipal, Lee, Ji Yeong, Yang, Cheol-Woong, Lee, Jae Hak, Oh, Young Hoon, Ahn, Jae-Pyoung, Kang, Won Nam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.04.2016
• Subjects: Borides; Electronics; Flowers; Grains; Intermetallic compounds; Magnesium compounds; Magnetization; Superconductivity; Superconductors
• DOI: 10.1088/0953-2048/29/4/045015
• ISSN: 0953-2048

We report for the first time the growth and the systematic study of the growth mechanism for flower-like MgB sub(2) structures fabricated on the substrates for solid-state electronics by the hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition (HPCVD) technique. The MgB sub(2) flower has a width of 30 mu m and a height of 10 mu m. The superconductivity of MgB sub(2) flowers was confirmed by a magnetization measurement, and the transition temperature is 39 K, which is comparable with high-quality bulk samples. The excellent current-carrying capability was demonstrated by MgB sub(2) flowers. To understand the nucleation and growth mechanism of MgB sub(2) flowers a very systematic study was performed by a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and atom probe (AP) microscopy. The HRTEM revealed that the seed grain of a MgB sub(2) flower has a [1010] direction, and the flower is composed of micro-columnar MgB sub(2) grains having pyramidal tips and which are grown along the (0001) plane. A clear understanding of the growth mechanism for MgB sub(2) flowers could lead to the growth of other low-dimensional MgB sub(2) structures for superconducting electronic devices.