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Superconducting Nb 3 Sn films were fabricated on sapphire and fine grain Nb substrates by magnetron sputtering from a single stoichiometric Nb 3 Sn target. The structural, morphological and superconducting properties of the films annealed for 24 h at temperatures of 800-1000 • C were investigated. The effect of the annealing time at 1000 • C was examined for 1, 12, and 24 h. The film properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The DC superconducting properties of the films were characterized by a four-point probe measurement down to cryogenic temperatures. The RF surface resistance of films was measured over a temperature range of 6-23 K using a 7.4 GHz sapphire-loaded Nb cavity. As-deposited Nb 3 Sn films on sapphire had a superconducting critical temperature of 17.21 K, which improved to 17.83 K when the film was annealed at 800 • C for 24 h. For the films annealed at 1000 • C, the surface Sn content was reduced to ~11.3% for an annealing time of 12 h and to ~4.1% for an annealing time of 24 h. The Raman spectra of the films confirmed the microstructural evolution after annealing. The RF superconducting critical temperature of the as-deposited Nb 3 Sn films on Nb was 16.02 K, which increased to 17.44 K when the film was annealed at 800 • C for 24 h.

Superconducting Nb3Sn films can be synthesized by controlling the atomic concentration of Sn. Multilayer sequential sputtering of Nb and Sn thin films followed by high temperature annealing is considered as a method to fabricate Nb3Sn films, where the Sn composition of the deposited films can be controlled by the thickness of alternating Nb and Sn layers. We report on the structural, morphological and superconducting properties of Nb3Sn films fabricated by multilayer sequential sputtering of Nb and Sn films on sapphire substrates followed by annealing at 950 °C for 3 h. We have investigated the effect of Nb and Sn layer thickness and Nb:Sn ratio on the properties of the Nb3Sn films. The crystal structure, surface morphology, surface topography, and film composition were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results showed Sn loss from the surface due to evaporation during annealing. Superconducting Nb3Sn films of critical temperature up to 17.93 K were fabricated.