Crystal Structure of Niobium Nitride (NbN) Thin Film

The niobium nitride (NbN) thin film exhibits a strong appeal for A15 superconductors. This thin film is utilized in both high-field magnet and microelectronics applications. Physically, the properties of thin film niobium nitride render it highly promising for industrial and technological applications. These materials boast high hardness, magnetic order, and superconductivity. 

Additionally, the niobium nitride film demonstrates refractory properties, optical conductivity, and high reflectivity. Consequently, these characteristics make it well-suited for optoelectronic applications. These super hard materials thrive under conditions of extreme pressure and high temperature. This article will delve into the crystal structure of NbN thin film.

The thin film niobium nitride crystal structure is hexagonal structure. The NbN with volume 22.258Aᴼ3, space group is p-6m 2 (187) , melting point 2573 ℃ and density is 8.470 g/cm3.The cell parameters area is 2.976 Aᴼ, b is 2.976 Aᴼ and c is 2.901Aᴼ and angles are 𝜶 is 90.000ᴼ, 𝜷 is 90.000ᴼ and 𝜸 is 120.000ᴼ Respectively. The cell ratio’s of the NbN crystal structure is a/b is 1.0000, b/c is 1.0268 and c/a is 0.9739. The NbN crystal structure is presented in the figure above^[1].

Reference

[1] B. Prabhakar and T.A. Wani. Crystal Structure Visualization of Niobium Nitride (NbN) Thin Film. 2021 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1714 012050.