Nb₃Si prepared by high-rate sputtering followed by quenching

Nb₃Si films with the A-15 structure have been prepared by sputtering onto a substrate whose temperature is about 1000 ‡C, followed by quenching to liquid nitrogen temperature. All processes were carried out by using magnetron sputtering in a container full of liquid nitrogen. The quenching just after the deposition was achieved by thermal conduction using a sample holder in contact with the liquid nitrogen container. The highest onset temperature T _on and critical temperature (midpoint of the transition) T _c of the samples are 17.3 and 16.4 K, respectively, with a sharp transition. X-ray diffraction patterns show fine-grained A-15 structure and give a lattice constant of 5.09 Å.