Commissioning of Dedicated Furnace for Nb3Sn Coatings of 2.6 GHz Single Cell Cavities

TL;DR

This paper reports on the commissioning of a specialized furnace for applying Nb3Sn coatings to 2.6 GHz single cell cavities, aiming to improve performance and reduce costs in superconducting applications.

Contribution

It introduces a new furnace process for Nb3Sn coating of cavities, including deposition techniques and analysis methods to verify coating quality.

Findings

Successful formation of Nb3Sn confirmed by SEM/EDS analysis

Coating efficacy assessed using witness samples

Potential for reduced operating costs in superconducting cavities

Abstract

We present the results of commissioning a dedicated furnace for Nb3Sn coatings of 2.6 GHz single cell cavities. Nb3Sn is a desired coating due to its high critical temperature and smaller surface resistance compared to bulk Nb. Usage of Nb3Sn coated cavities will greatly reduce operating costs due to decreased dependance on cryo cooling. Tin is deposited by use of a tin chloride nucleation agent and tin vapor diffusion. Analysis of the resultant coating was performed using SEM/EDS to verify successful formation of Nb3Sn. Witness samples in line of sight of the source were used in order to understand the coating efficacy.