Large critical field and enhanced critical temperature in superconducting thin film epitaxial TaC

Tantalum carbide has been gaining interest in the search for topological superconductors due to its confirmed type-II superconductivity and predicted non-trivial topology, creating potential to host Majorana physics. Additionally, the ability to incorporate superconducting materials with wide band gap semiconductors creates a path to introduce quantum functionalities into semiconductor technologies. Here, we synthesize epitaxial thin film TaC by sputtering technique and show that there is an enhanced critical temperature (Tc = 12k) and high critical field (Hc > 8.25T) as compared to bulk single crystal TaC from the literature. By synthesizing this material as an epitaxial thin film, we aim to better isolate and probe the topological surface states while establishing reliable growth conditions for high-quality TaC thin films. Structural characterization using x-ray diffraction is employed to evaluate the epitaxial quality and phase purity of the deposited films. Electrical transport measurements, conducted using a Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS), will be discussed to assess carrier behavior and explore potential signatures of nontrivial topology in these systems.