Growth and characterization of Re-Ni2B2C superconducting thin films

High quality, c-axis oriented thin films of the intermetallic superconductors RE-Ni2B2C (RE = Y, Er) were obtained "in-situ" by planar magnetron sputtering. These compounds have recently attracted the attention of researchers due to their intriguing superconducting and magnetic properties. In this paper we report on the growth, structural and electrical characterization of these films, as well as STM topography and tunneling spectroscopy. These measurements shed light on the nature of the superconducting state as well as on possible employment of these new superconductors in thin film devices.