First Results From Nanoindentation of Vapor Diffused Nb3Sn Films on Nb

TL;DR

This study presents initial nanoindentation measurements of vapor-diffused Nb3Sn thin films on Nb substrates, aiming to understand their mechanical properties to address vulnerabilities in accelerator applications.

Contribution

First nanoindentation analysis of vapor-diffused Nb3Sn films on Nb, providing new insights into their mechanical properties for accelerator technology.

Findings

Measured elastic modulus and hardness of Nb3Sn films

Identified mechanical vulnerabilities of Nb3Sn coatings

Provided baseline data for future mechanical assessments

Abstract

The mechanical vulnerability of the Nb3Sn-coated cavities is identified as one of the significant technical hurdles toward deploying them in practical accelerator applications in the not-so-distant future. It is crucial to characterize the material's mechanical properties in ways to address such vulnerability. Nanoindentation is a widely used technique for measuring the mechanical properties of thin films that involves indenting the film with a small diamond tip and measuring the force-displacement response to calculate the film's elastic modulus, hardness, and other mechanical properties. The nanoindentation analysis was performed on multiple vapor-diffused Nb3Sn samples coated at Jefferson Lab and Fermilab coating facilities for the first time. This contribution will discuss the first results obtained from the nanoindentation of Nb3Sn-coated Nb samples prepared via the Sn vapor diffusion technique.