Epitaxial ordering of oxide superconductor thin films on (100) SrTiO3 prepared by pulsed laser evaporation

Abstract

Thin films of Y‐Ba‐Cu‐O superconductors on (100) SrTiO₃ were prepared using the pulsed excimer laser evaporation technique. After an annealing treatment in oxygen the films exhibited superconductivity with zero resistance at 85 K with transition widths (90%–10%) as narrow as a 2 K. A considerable amount of orientation of the films with respect to the substrates was observed by x‐ray diffraction and ion channeling techniques. Interface reaction revealed by Rutherford backscattering and Auger electron spectrometry resulted in a thickness dependence of the superconducting properties of the films.