Superconducting Properties of ${\rm V}_{3}{\rm Si}$ Thin Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Ablation

We present a systematic study of the superconducting properties of high quality V₃Si thin films, grown by high vacuum pulsed laser deposition from a stoichiometric target, a technique never reported in literature for this compound. By changing both the substrate (crystal structure and orientation) and the deposition conditions (substrate temperature, target-substrate distance, laser frequency and pulse energy) the critical temperature and the resistivity values of the samples have been finely tuned. Best results (T_C = 16.1 K and Residual Resistivity Ratio RRR = 8.5) are obtained for deposition temperatures higher than 1200degC on both LaAlO₃ and MgO substrates. All the samples are polycrystalline, that however does not affect the good quality of the transport properties. The possibility of multiband superconductivity in this compound is investigated, probing as a function of temperature: (i) the critical field up to 28 T using voltamperometric measurements, and (ii) the superfluid density via magnetic penetration depth measurements with a single coil inductive technique operating in the MHz region.