High-temperature epitaxial growth of tantalum nitride thin films on MgO: structural evolution and potential for SQUID applications

• Michelle Cedillo Rosillo,
• Oscar Contreras López,
• Jesús Antonio Díaz,
• Agustín Conde Gallardo and
• Harvi A. Castillo Cuero

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 690–699, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.53

• Física, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), Apdo. Postal 14-740, México D.F. 07360, México 10.3762/bjnano.16.53 Abstract The growth of superconducting tantalum nitride (TaN) thin films on magnesium oxide (MgO) substrates has been studied

• superconducting films. Keywords: epitaxial growth; SQUID; structural evolution; superconductivity; TaN thin films; Introduction Superconductivity is a quantum mechanical phenomenon characterized by the complete absence of electrical resistance in certain materials when cooled below a critical superconducting

• the present work, superconducting TaN thin films were synthesized using PLD. A high-purity Ta target was ablated in a N2 atmosphere while the N2 pressure was varied to investigate its effect on film properties. The substrate temperature was systematically altered to explore its impact on the growth