  The morphological, transport and terahertz optical properties of DC magnetron
sputtered granular molybdenum thin-films with nano-grains embedded in an
amorphous matrix have been studied in the normal and superconducting states.
The superconducting transition temperatures of these films are much higher than
that of bulk molybdenum. The optical properties of these thin-films have been
studied using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. Their properties have been
compared with the existing materials used for the development of radiation
detectors. The resistivity of the films lies in >100 micro-Ohm-cm range which
is ideal for making highly sensitive radiation detectors. The Hall measurements
indicate the presence of holes as the dominant carriers with very small mean
free path and mobility. In the normal state, the films are disordered bad metal
but they have large superfluid density and stiffness in their superconducting
state. The normal state and superconducting properties of the films are very
promising for their use in cryogenic radiation detectors for microwave,
terahertz, and far IR frequency ranges.
