High temperature superconductor/diamond composite article, and method of

Abstract

A multilayer superconducting thin film composite article, comprising a carbon-containing substrate, and an interlayer comprising a material selected from the group consisting of zirconium, yttrium, niobium, and carbides and oxides thereof, platinum, iridium, gold, palladium, and silver, and an overlayer comprising an HTSC material. The carbon-containing substrate preferably comprises diamond and the interlayer preferably comprises a zirconium carbide sub-layer at the interface with the substrate, an intermediate sub-layer of zirconium metal, and an outer sub-layer of zirconium oxide at the interface with the HTSC material overlayer. The superconducting thin film material may comprise a copper oxide HTSC material, with YBaCuO, TlBaCaCuO, and BiSrCaCuO HTSC materials being preferred. The interlayer accommodates formation of the superconducting film in an oxic environment at elevated temperature without destruction of the substrate, while at the same time protecting the HTSC material in the overlayer from deleterious reaction with the substrate which otherwise may cause the HTSC material or precursor thereof to be highly resistive, i.e., non-superconducting, in character. The invention thus permits the fabrication of devices incorporating HTSC films with carbon-containing substrates such as diamond, including high operating temperature bolometers, and high power, high speed switching devices.