Grain size and film thickness of Nb3Sn formed by solid-state diffusion in the range 650–800 °C

Abstract

A simple etching and replication technique for the determination of grain size in thin films of Nb₃Sn has been established. The resulting data compares well with previous reports of grain size as a function of reaction temperature and of the pinning force F_pmax as a function of grain size. The possibility of an optimum grain size for F_pmax is indicated.