Vortex penetration field measurement system based on third-harmonic method for superconducting RF materials

Abstract We develop a vortex penetration field ( H v ) measurement system using the third-harmonic response of an applied AC magnetic field from a solenoid coil positioned above a superconducting sample. The parameter H v is measured via detection of the third-harmonic component, which drastically changes when a vortex begins to penetrate the superconductor with temperature increase. The magnetic field locally applied to one side of the sample mimics the magnetic field within superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities and prevents edge effects of the superconducting sample. With this approach, our measurement system can potentially characterize surface-engineered SRF materials such as Superconductor–Insulator–Superconductor multilayer structure (S–I–S structure). As a validation test, we measure the temperature dependence of H v of two high-RRR bulk Nb samples and obtain results consistent with the literature. We also confirm that our system can apply magnetic fields of at least 120 mT at 4–5 K without any problem of heat generation of the coil. The field applied is higher than those reported in previous works, allowing for a more accurate estimation of H v at lower temperatures.