“Theoretical calculations of the constant lattice of niobium carbide depending on the concentration of carbon defects — often in the experiment there is a carbon deficiency — have shown that the used method of synthesis of niobium carbide on diamond allows to obtain high quality niobium carbide with a lattice parameter close to defect-free material. Calculations of the superconducting characteristics of niobium carbide showed a superconducting transition at a temperature of 19.4 K, which turned out to be close to the experimentally measured value. The results also indicate the high quality of the experimentally obtained film,” explained Alexander Kvashnin, a co-author of the study and a professor at the Energy Transition Center.
“Notably, the low concentration of defects in the obtained niobium carbide film leads to sufficiently high values of electron diffusion, compared to other niobium-based alloys. And this, together with the observed superconducting characteristics, is of practical interest for quantum detection devices,” added Anna Kolbatova, a co-author of the study and a research scientist at Moscow Pedagogical State University.
The researchers proved that the obtained niobium carbide layer has superconductive characteristics. If this film is applied to the surface of diamond, it will be possible to create super-sensitive detectors due to its high thermal conductivity. The high thermal conductivity of diamond will help detect signals — it would happen much faster than with other materials.
The study was supported by two RSF grants. The first project, “Investigation of the effect of alloying elements on the electrochemical characteristics of nanostructured carbon materials for the creation of promising current sources,” (No. 22-73-10198) aims to obtain results that can be used to create electrochemical sources of a new generation. The second project, “A new generation of quantum detectors and single photon sources based on two-dimensional Van der Waals structures,” (No. 21-72-10117), seeks to develop devices for quantum detection, which should surpass the traditional ones.
Among those also contributing to the study are Julia Bondareva, Fedor Fedorov, Alexander Egorov, and Nikita Matsokin.