Speaker
Description
Superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities underpin many modern particle accelerators, enabling highly efficient acceleration with high duty cycle or continuous wave operation. However, SRF technology currently relies almost exclusively on bulk niobium cavities operating at around 2 K, resulting in significant capital and operational costs while performance approaches the theoretical limits of the material. Thin film SRF technology offers an alternative route to more sustainable accelerators by decoupling RF performance from the bulk, enabling the use of lower-cost substrates, such as copper, and alternative superconducting materials, including Nb3Sn, with the potential for operation at higher temperatures (e.g. 4.2 K).
STFC Daresbury Laboratory has maintained an active thin film SRF research programme for many years, spanning thin film depositions, materials characterisation and cryogenic superconducting property evaluation. Much of this work has focussed on the development and evaluation of planar samples, providing valuable insight into the relationship between deposition parameters, material properties and RF performance. Building on this foundation, recent efforts have increasingly focused on cavity-scale developments at 1.3 and 6 GHz. To support this transition, new deposition facilities have been established for cavity coating, alongside multiple dedicated cryogenic test stands for RF testing.
This presentation will discuss the progression from sample studies to cavity-scale developments and provides and overview of the new deposition and cryogenic test facilities that will enable the next stage of thin film SRF research at Daresbury Laboratory.
| Presenting Author | Daniel Seal |
|---|---|
| Is the Presenting Author a PhD Student or Early Career Scientist ? | No |
| Area of research | Accelerator technology (including magnets) |