Enhancement of lower critical field by reducing the thickness of epitaxial and polycrystalline MgB2 thin films.

For potential applications in superconducting RF cavities, we have investigated the properties of polycrystalline MgB2 films, including the thickness dependence of the lower critical field H_c1. MgB₂ thin films were fabricated by hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition on (0001) SiC substrate either directly (for epitaxial films) or with a MgO buffer layer (for polycrystalline films). When the film thickness decreased from 300 nm to 100 nm, H_c1 at 5 K increased from around 600 Oe to 1880 Oe in epitaxial films and to 1520 Oe in polycrystalline films. The result is promising for using MgB₂/MgO multilayers to enhance the vortex penetration field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]