Superconductivity in MgB2 films synthesized by ablation from high-power ion beam

MgB2 thin films with Tc = 19 K were fabricated by the ion ablation technique utilizing a high-energy pulsed ion beam. A target remains pure MgB2 after ablation, proving the excellent capability of ablation by the high-power ion beam. Chemical compositions of the deposited material, however, may vary with positions of the substrates from the beam axis. X-ray diffraction patterns exhibit only (0 0 1) and (0 0 2) peaks, which indicate a c-axis orientation of the films. Scanning electron microscopy images show a possible growth of single crystals with hexagonal shape and 1 μm size.