Effects of processing history on the evolution of surface damage layer and dislocation substructure in large grain niobium cavities

Abstract

Large grain niobium (Nb) is being investigated for fabricating superconducting radiofrequency cavities as an alternative to the traditional approach using fine grain polycrystalline Nb sheets. Past studies have identified a surface damage layer on fine grain cavities due to deep drawing and demonstrated the necessity for chemical etching on the surface. However, the origin of and depth of the damage layer are not well understood, and similar exploration on large grain cavities is lacking. In this work, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was used to examine the cross sections at the equator and iris of a half cell deep drawn from a large grain Nb ingot slice. The results indicate that the damage (identified by a high density of geometrically necessary dislocations) depends on crystal orientations, is different at the equator and iris, and is present through the full thickness of a half cell in some places. After electron backscatter diffraction, the specimens were heat treated at $800\text{ }\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\mathrm{C}$ or $1000\text{ }\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\mathrm{C}$ for two hours, and the same areas were reexamined. A more dramatic decrease in dislocation content was observed at the iris than the equator, where some regions exhibited no change. The specimens were then etched and examined again, to determine if the subsurface region behaved differently than the surface. Little change in the dislocation substructure was observed, suggesting that the large grain microstructure is retained with a normal furnace anneal.