Formation of tungsten carbide by focused ion beam process: A route to high magnetic field resilient patterned superconducting nanostructures

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that focused ion beam processing of tungsten hexacarbonyl can create tungsten carbide nanostructures with superconducting properties exceeding the paramagnetic limit, revealing potential for high-field resilient superconducting devices.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to form superconducting tungsten carbide nanostructures via focused ion beam decomposition of W(CO)6, with detailed microscopic analysis and enhanced critical fields.

Findings

W(CO)6 decomposition leaves behind superconducting tungsten carbide structures.

The tungsten carbide nanostructures exhibit an upper critical field >10 T, above the paramagnetic limit.

Atomic probe tomography confirms nano-crystalline WC formation without free tungsten.

Abstract

A scale for magnetic field resilience of a superconductor is set by the paramagnetic limit. Comparing the condensation energy of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) singlet ground state with the paramagnetically polarised state suggests that for an applied field ${\mu_0}H > 1.8~T_c$ (in SI), singlet pairing is not energetically favourable. Materials exceeding or approaching this limit are interesting from fundamental and technological perspectives. This may be a potential indicator of triplet superconductivity, Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) pairing and other mechanisms involving topological aspects of surface states, and also allow Cooper pair injection at high magnetic fields. We have analysed the microscopic composition of such a material arising from an unexpected source. A microjet of an organo-metallic gas, $\rm {W[(CO)_6]}$ can be decomposed by gallium ion-beam, leaving behind a track of complex residue of gallium, tungsten and carbon with remarkable superconducting properties, like an upper critical field, $H_{c2} > 10~{\rm T} $, above its paramagnetic limit. We carried out Atomic probe tomography to establish the formation of nano-crystalline tungsten carbide (WC) in the tracks and the absence of free tungsten. Supporting calculations show for Ga distributed on the surface of WC, its s,p-orbitals enhance the density of states near the Fermi energy. The observed variation of $H_{c2}(T)$ does not show features typical of enhancement of critical field due to granularity. Our observations may be significant in the context of some recent theoretical calculation of the band structure of WC and experimental observation of superconductivity in WC-metal interface.