Superconductivity in transparent amorphous indium tin oxide films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering

Superconductivity in transparent amorphous indium tin oxide films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Superconductivity in transparent amorphous indium tin oxide films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering Kang Wang, Xinzuo Sun, Chunyan Song, Chao Zhang, Ranran Li, Xijun Li This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6972225/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 24 Oct, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Integrating superconductivity with high optical transparency is critical for advancing quantum technologies, yet remains fundamentally challenging due to photon damping at conventional superconductor interfaces. Here, we report the integrated circuit process compatible and scalable fabrication of transparent superconducting tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films by RF magnetron sputtering without post-treatment. Combining Aslamazov-Larkin fluctuation theory and Ginzburg-Landau analysis, a superconducting transition temperature T c of 1.43 K and the zero-temperature coherence length of 18.14 nm are determined. The two-dimensional nature of superconductivity is corroborated by a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition near 0.8 K. These ITO films exhibit high transmittance across visible and near-infrared wavelengths, meeting the demands of quantum photonic applications. Comparative magneto-transport studies reveal that disorder suppresses electron-phonon coupling, thereby reducing T c or even quenching superconductivity, while superconductivity itself suppresses weak localization (WL) signatures. Based on these observations, we propose a four-stage model describing the evolution from a normal metallic state to a phase-coherent superconducting phase through an interactive regime and a pre-pairing fluctuation regime. This work provides a simple and easy growth method for transparent ITO superconducting films and paves the way of exploring transparent superconductor for promising quantum material platforms. Physical sciences/Materials science/Condensed matter physics Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for optics Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files ScientificReportssupplementarymaterialKangWangetal20250624.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 24 Oct, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 25 Aug, 2025 Reviews received at journal 25 Aug, 2025 Reviews received at journal 19 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Jul, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 22 Jul, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 21 Jul, 2025 Editor invited by journal 14 Jul, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 27 Jun, 2025 First submitted to journal 27 Jun, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6972225","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":489241793,"identity":"1fe51b3f-5108-4521-9410-7ac8cac87de7","order_by":0,"name":"Kang Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Westlake University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kang","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":489241795,"identity":"3b4b55fa-f944-4140-be68-baaa50fe23cd","order_by":1,"name":"Xinzuo Sun","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Westlake 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