Robust Superconductivity and High Upper Critical Fields in Epitaxial cubic W2N Thin Films

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of robust superconductivity with high upper critical fields in epitaxial cubic W2N thin films, highlighting their potential for quantum and cryogenic electronic applications.

Contribution

It introduces stoichiometric W2N as a new superconductor with high critical fields, expanding the understanding of transition metal nitrides.

Findings

W2N exhibits a high upper critical field of 8.5 T.

Superconductivity in W2N is robust under high magnetic fields.

W2N's properties make it suitable for quantum and cryogenic technologies.

Abstract

Transition Metal Nitrides are a versatile class of materials, combining chemical robustness, high hardness, and superconducting behaviour with critical temperatures between 2 to 10 K. While several binary TMNs have been explored, superconductivity in stoichiometric W2N has remained largely unexplored. Here, we report on superconducting thin films of stoichiometric W2N, demonstrating a distinctly high upper critical field of 8.5 T, uncommon among binary TMNs. This robust superconducting response under high magnetic fields highlights the technological relevance of W2N for integrated quantum and cryogenic electronic platforms. Overall, these results position stoichiometric W2N as a promising addition to the TMN superconducting landscape, opening new avenues for functional materials design based on chemically stable and mechanically resilient nitrides.