Cornell Sample Host Cavity: Recent Results

The Cornell sample host cavity is a 3.9 GHz testing system for RF analysis of novel superconducting surfaces. The cavity applies fields up to 100 mT on a removable and replaceable 5-inch sample plate in order to measure the surface resistance of the material under investigation. The cavity also includes a temperature-mapping system for localization of quench events and surface defects. In this paper, we present recent experimental results from the host cavity of niobium deposited onto molybdenum and copper substrates using chemical vapor deposition, in collaboration with industry partner Ultramet. The results indicate lowBCS resistance and good adhesion but also areas of high residual resistance due to chemical and morphological defects.