Ion implantation and transient melting: A new approach to formation of superconducting MgB2 phases

An attempt to synthesize superconducting MgB2 inter-metallic compound from the liquid state is presented. The process consists of two steps. In the first one, boron ions are implanted into a magnesium substrate. In the second one, the near-surface region of such system is melted by short, intense hydrogen plasma pulses without necessity of annealing in Mg vapor. A magnetically modulated microwave absorption method was used to detect superconducting regions in the obtained MgB2 layer. Percolation between nano-regions (islands) of MgB2 has not been observed. However, a superconducting state of the insulated islands has been experimentally proven with transition temperatures TC as high as 31 K.