YBa2Cu3O7–δ films prepared by pulsed laser deposition in O2/Ar mixture atmosphere

• Published in: Applied physics. A, Materials science & processing Vol. 126; no. 11
• Main Authors: Dai, X. H., Song, J. M., Zhao, L., Wang, Y. L., Zhao, H. D., Liu, B. T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-11-2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Applied physics; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Codeposition; Condensed Matter Physics; Lattice parameters; Machines; Magnetron sputtering; Manufacturing; Materials science; Morphology; Nanotechnology; Optical and Electronic Materials; Particle density (concentration); Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Processes; Pulsed laser deposition; Pulsed lasers; Substrates; Superconducting films; Superconductivity; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films; Transition temperature; YBCO superconductors; PLD; YBCO film; Surface morphology; O; Ar mixture atmosphere; Superconducting transition temperature
• ISSN: 0947-8396; 1432-0630
• DOI: 10.1007/s00339-020-03690-4

The YBa
2
Cu
3
O
7-δ
(YBCO) superconducting films were fabricated epitaxially on STO(00 l) substrates by pulsed laser deposition method (PLD) in different O
2
/Ar mixture atmospheres. The surface morphology of the YBCO film is strongly dependent on the O
2
/Ar ratio of the ambient atmosphere. The surface particle density decreases and the particle size increases with the O
2
/Ar ratio decreasing. The lattice parameters and the superconducting transition temperature (
T
c0
) are almost independent on the O
2
/Ar ratio and are about the same as 1.168 nm and 90 K, respectively, which can be ascribed to the annealing process in 1 atm O
2
for all the YBCO samples. Based on the above results, in O
2
/Ar ratio of 25:75 atmosphere, YBCO:LaAlO
3
superconducting composite films with good performance were prepared by co-deposition of PLD with magnetron sputtering method. The experimental results provide a way to control the surface morphology of the YBCO films deposited by PLD method and provide valuable reference for the preparation of YBCO composite thin films by co-deposition of PLD with magnetron sputtering method in Ar/O
2
mixture atmosphere.