Effect of disorder on superconductivity of NbN thin films studied using x-ray absorption spectroscopy

The superconducting transition temperature (T-C) of rock-salt type niobium nitride (delta - NbN) typically varies between 9 to 17 K and the theoretically predicted value of 18 K has not been achieved hitherto. The low T-C in delta - NbN has been assigned to some structural disorder which is always present irrespective of the microstructure (polycrystalline or epitaxial), methods or conditions adopted during the growth of NbN thin films. In this work, we investigate the atomic origin of such suppression of the T-C in delta - NbN thin films by employing combined methods of experiments and ab initio simulations. Sputtered delta - NbN thin films with different disorder were studied using the synchrotron-based N and Nb K-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy techniques. A strong correlation between the superconductivity and the electronic structure reconstruction was observed. The theoretical analysis revealed that under N-rich growth conditions, atomic and molecular N-interstitial defects assisted by cation vacancies form spontaneously and results into a smeared electronic structure around Fermi-level. The role of electronic smearing on the T-C is thoroughly discussed.