Nb₃Sn Films Depositions from Targets Synthesized via Liquid Tin Diffusion

The deposition of Nb₃Sn on copper cavities is inter-esting for the higher thermal conductivity of copper compared to common Nb substrates. The better heat exchange would allow the use of cryocoolers reducing cryogenic costs and the risk of thermal quench [1]. Magnetron sputtering technology allows the deposi-tion of Nb₃Sn on substrates different than Nb, however the coating of substrates with complex geometry (such as elliptical cavities) may require targets with non-planar shape, difficult to realize with classic powder sintering techniques. In this work, the possibility of using the Liquid Tin Diffusion (LTD) technique to produce sputtering targets is explored. The LTD tech-nique is a wire fabrication technology, already devel-oped in the past at LNL for SRF applications [2], that allows the deposition of very thick and uniform coat-ing on Nb substrates even with complex geometry [3]. Improvements in LTD process, proof of concept of a single use LTD target production, and characterization of the Nb₃Sn film coated by DC magnetron sputtering with these innovative targets are reported in this work.