Preparation and properties of Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8 thin films

Anex situ process has been developed to produce thin superconducting Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O₈ films. The properties of films grown on different substrates using different annealing regimes were studied. Critical temperatures of 103–107 K were measured on films prepared in a broad range of annealing temperatures on SrTiO₃, LaAlO₃, and Y-ZrO₂ substrates. A critical current density,J _c, of 2×10⁶ A/cm² at 77 K was measured on LaAlO₃. Film morphology was studied by SEM, AFM, and STM.     

Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8 thin films on 2 in. LaAlO3(0 0 1) substrates

High quality Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O₈ (Tl-2212) superconducting thin films are prepared on both sides of 2 in. LaAlO₃(0 0 1) substrates by off-axis magnetron sputtering and post-annealing process. XRD measurements show that these films possess pure Tl-2212 phase with C-axis perpendicular to the substrate surface. The thickness unhomogeneity of the whole film on the 2 in. wafer is less than 5%. The superconducting transition temperatures T_cs of the films are around 105 K. At zero applied magnetic field, the critical current densities J_cs of the films on both sides of the wafer were measured to be above 2 × 10⁶ A/cm² at 77 K. The microwave surface resistance R_s of film was as low as 350 μΩ at 10 GHz and 77 K. In order to test the suitability of Tl-2212 thin films for passive microwave devices, 3-pole bandpass filters have been fabricated from double-sided Tl-2212 films on LaAlO₃ substrates.     

Novel Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition / T1F Annealing Route to Thin Films of Tl1Ba2Ca2Cu3O9+x

Thin films of TI₁Ba₂Ca₂Cu₃O_9+x have been grown on single crystal (110) LaAlO₃ by a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition process employing Ba(hfa)₂.mep, Ca(hfa)2.tet. and Cu(dpm)₂ (hfa = hexafluoroacetylacetonate; dpm = dipivaloylmethanate; tet = tetraglyme; mep =methylethylpentaglyme) as the volatile metal sources. A subsequent phase-selective annealing procedure accomplishes thallination using TIF in a bulk oxide pellet. The resulting films are nearly phase-pure and highly oriented and contain negligible fluoride by windowless energy-dispersive x-ray measurements. The films exhibit transport measured T_c = 103 K and J_c > 10⁴ A/cm² (77 K. 0 T) and at low temperatures retain J_c > 10⁵ A/cm² (5 K, 4.5 T) as measured by magnetic hysteresis.     

Ferroelectric properties of Mn-Doped Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3O12 thin films prepared under different annealing conditions

Mn-doped Bi_3.15Nd_0.85Ti₃O₁₂ (BNTM) thin films were fabricated on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si(100) substrates by a chemical solution deposition technique and annealed at different temperatures from 650 to 800 °C. The structures of the films were analyzed using X-ray diffraction, which showed that the BNTM films exhibit polycrystalline structures and random orientations. The surface morphologies of the samples were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. The average grain size of the films increases with increasing annealing temperature. Electrical properties such as remanent polarization (2P_r) are quite dependent on the annealing temperature of BNTM films. It is found that the film annealed at 750 °C exhibits excellent ferroelectricity with a remanent polarization of 2P_r = 89.3 μC/cm² and a coercive field of E_c = 99.2 kV/cm respectively.     

Crystal Structure and Superconductivity of MgB2 Thin Films Grown on Various Oxide Substrates

The crystal structure and superconductivity of MgB₂ thin films grown on various oxide substrates were investigated by X-ray diffraction and resistance measurement. The films were prepared by a two-step method, in which precursors B films were annealed in Mg vapor at 900C. The X-ray diffraction shows that the MgB₂ films grown on C–AL₂O₃, R–AL₂O₃, and MgO (001) are c-axis oriented while the films grown on SrTiO₃ (001), LaAlO₃ (001), and ZrO₂ (001) are aligned with the (101) direction normal to the substrate planes. All the grown films show superconductivity and their transition temperature varies with the substrates in the range of 34–39 K. We think that the transition temperature variation is probably due to the lattice matching between the film and the substrate, as well as the interdiffusion at the film/substrate interface. The experimental results suggest that if there is no severe interdiffusion at the film/substrate interface in the high temperature annealing process, more substrates could be used for the growth of MgB₂ films using the two-step method.     

Structure evolution and ferroelectric properties of Bi3.4Yb0.6Ti3O12 thin films crystallized under a moderate temperature

Ytterbium-doped Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ (Bi_3.4Yb_0.6Ti₃O₁₂, BYT) ferroelectric thin films were successfully deposited on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO₂/Si(100) substrates by chemical solution deposition (CSD). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to identify the crystal structure, the surface and cross-section morphology of the deposited ferroelectric films. Structure evolution and ferroelectric properties of the as-prepared thin films annealed under different temperatures (600 °C-750 °C) were studied in detail. Additionally, the mechanism concerning the dependence of electrical properties of the BYT ferroelectric thin films on the annealing temperature was discussed.     

Preparation and properties of YBa2Cu3O7 thin films on sapphire with Yttria-stabilized zirconia buffer layer

YBa₂Cu₃O₇ superconducting thin films were deposited onR-plane sapphire substrates with Yttria-stabilized zirconia buffer layer by laser ablation. The structure of the films was characterized by X-ray diffraction. Superconducting transitional temperatures as high as 90 K and critical current densities up to 2.2×10⁶ A/cm² (77 K) were achieved. The results of Auger depth profile showed that no obvious diffusion occurred between the substrate and the YBa₂Cu₃O₇ thin film.     

Role of La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 template layers on dielectric and electrical properties of pulsed-laser ablated Pb(Nb2/3Mg1/3)O3-PbTiO3 thin films

Relaxor ferroelectric thin films of 0.7Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.3PbTiO₃ (PMN-PT) deposited on platinized silicon substrates with and without template layers were studied. Perovskite phase (80% by volume) was obtained through proper selection of the processing conditions on bare Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates. The films were initially grown at 300 °C using pulsed-laser ablation and subsequently annealed in a rapid thermal annealing furnace in the temperature range of 750-850 °C to induce crystallization. Comparison of microstructure of the films annealed at different temperatures showed change in perovskite phase formation and grain size etc. Results from compositional analysis of the films revealed that the films initially possessed high content of lead percentage, which subsequently decreased after annealing at temperature 750-850 °C. Films with highest perovskite content were found to form at 820-840 °C on Pt substrates where the Pb content was near stoichiometric. Further improvement in the formation of perovskite PMN-PT phase was obtained by using buffer layers of La_0.5Sr_0.5CoO₃ (LSCO) on the Pt substrate. This resulted 100% perovskite phase formation in the films deposited at 650 °C. Dielectric studies on the PMN-PT films with LSCO template layers showed high values of relative dielectric constant (3800) with a loss factor (tan δ) of 0.035 at a frequency of 1 kHz at room temperature.     

Film thickness dependence of critical current density for YBa2Cu3O7 films post-annealed at a low oxygen partial pressure

The variation of critical current density at 77 K as a function of film thickness was studied for YBa₂Cu₃O₇ films on (100) LaAlO₃ substrates. Film thicknesses were in the range 0.2–1.6m. The films were deposited by co-evaporation and post-annealed under conditions which have previously resulted in high-quality films (750°C and an oxygen partial pressure of 29 Pa). The critical current density at 77 K exceeds 1 MA cm^–2 for the thinner films, and decreases with increasing film thickness in excess of about 0.4m. The decrease is in rough agreement with a switch fromc-axis toa-axis growth at about this critical thickness. A good anticorrelation was found between room temperature resistivity and critical current density at 77 K. The results are compared to those obtained before by post-annealing at 850°C in 1 atm of oxygen.     

High Critical Current Density YBa2Cu3Ox Tapes Using the RABiTs Approach

Progress in the fabrication of epitaxial, high-J _c, biaxially aligned YBCO thick films on Rolling-assisted biaxially textured substrates (RABiTs) is reported. RABiT substrates comprise a biaxially textured metal substrate with epitaxial oxide buffer layers suitable for growth of superconductors. Oxide buffer layers have been deposited using three techniques: laser ablation, electron-beam evaporation, and sputtering. Epitaxial YBCO films grown using laser ablation on such substrates have critical current densities approaching 3 × 10⁶ A/cm² at 77 K in zero field and have field dependences similar to epitaxial films on single crystal ceramic substrates. Critical current densities in excess of 0.2 MA/cm² have been obtained on stronger, nonmagnetic substrates. In addition, samples with J _e of 12.5 kA/cm² at 77 K have been fabricated. The highest strain tolerence obtained so far is 0.7% in compression and 0.25% in tension. Deposited conductors made using this technique offer a potential route for the fabrication of long lengths of high-J _c wire capable of carrying high currents in high magnetic fields and at elevated temperatures.     

Measurement of the surface resistance of YBa2Cu3O7?x thin films using stripline resonators

We review methods of measuring surface resistance (R _s ) of thin films using stripline resonators, and present our measurements of theR _s of YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x films as a function of frequency, temperature, and r.f. magnetic field. The films were deposited on LaAlO₃ substrates by two methods: (1) electron-beam coevaporation of Y, BaF, and Cu followed by annealing in O₂, and (2) single-targetin situ sputtering. The measurements were obtained at frequencies from 0.4 to 10 GHz, temperatures from 4 to 90 K, and an r.f. magnetic field range from 0 to 30 Oe. At low temperature and low r.f. field at 0.4 GHz, theR _s values obtained for the two deposition methods are approximately 7×10^–6 and 4×10^–6 , respectively.     

Growth and characterization of La1 − xAxMnO3 (A = Ag and K, x = 0.33) epitaxial and polycrystalline manganite thin films derived by sol-gel dip-coating technique

Manganite La_0.67Ag_0.33MnO₃ (LAgMO) and La_0.67K_0.33MnO₃ (LKMO) films have been obtained on a single-crystal of LaAlO₃ (100) and quartz substrates using sol-gel dip-coating technique. Structural, electrical, magnetic and magnetoresistance properties of the films have been investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns of the films grown on LaAlO₃ (100) substrate showed to be highly oriented in the direction of (100) and the films grown on the quartz substrate have perovskite with rhombohedral structure. The oriented films exhibited typical transport properties, whereas the polycrystalline films showed significantly different behaviors of the temperature dependent resistivity, magnetization and magnetoresistance (MR). The epitaxial films of the LAgMO and LKMO showed different metal-insulator transition temperature (T_MI) and the paramagnetic-ferromagnetic phase transition temperature (T_C). This was mainly due to the different ionic radius size of Ag¹⁺ and K¹⁺. The variation of T_MI and T_C was due to the different annealing temperatures and grain size effect in the polycrystalline films. The polycrystalline films showed a higher MR than the corresponding epitaxial films. An extrinsic MR has been observed at low temperatures (< 100 K) for the polycrystalline films due to the spin dependent scattering of conduction electrons at grain boundaries.     

Stability of HgBa2CaCu2Ox Superconducting Thin Films in Long-Term Environmental Exposure

Highly a-axis oriented HgBa₂CaCu₂O_x thin films deposited on LaAlO₃ substrates have been exposed to air at room temperature for a period of 400 days. The properties of the exposed sample have been studied by electrical and magnetic measurements, X- ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX). No substancial change of superconducting transition temperature or the structure was observed, but c-peaks reappeared after O₂ re-annealing at 350°C for 16 h.     

Effect of 80 keV Ar+ implantation on the properties of pulse laser deposited magnetite (Fe3O4) thin films

Highly oriented thin films of Fe₃O₄ were deposited on (100) LaAlO₃ substrates by pulsed laser ablation. The structural quality of the films was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The films showed a Verwey transition near 120 K. The films were subjected to 80 keV Ar⁺ implantation at different ion doses up to a maximum of 6 × 10¹⁴ ions/cm². Ion beam induced modifications in the films were investigated using XRD and resistance vs temperature measurements. Implantation decreases the change in resistance at 120 K and this effect saturates beyond 3 × 10¹⁴ ions/cm². The Verwey transition temperature,T _V, shifts towards lower temperatures with increase in ion dose.     

Effect of PrBa2Cu3O7?x buffer layer thickness on the properties of YBa2Cu3O7?x thin films grown on sapphire by laser ablation

Superconducting YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x (YBCO) thin films were deposited onr-plane A1₂O₃ substrates with PrBa₂Cu₃O_7–x (PBCO) buffer layer by XeCl excimer laser ablation. The thickness of PBCO buffer layer was systematically changed to investigate the superconducting properties of YBCO thin films on sapphire. The structure and surface morphology of the films were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Superconducting transition temperatures were varied depending on the buffer layer thickness. Interdiffusion between laser-ablated YBCO thin films and A1₂O₃ substrates had been studied by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The results of this study show that diffusion does not occur between the YBCO thin film and the substrate even with 20 Å thick PBCO buffer layer.     

Growth of Tl-2201 Superconducting Thin Films on Single Crystal LaAlO3

The growth of Tl-2201 films on LaAlO₃ single crystal substrates has been investigated. The synthesis involved precursor films made by laser ablation that were treated with Tl₂O(g) in near-equilibrium conditions. By optimising the method of preparation, we obtained films that were highly smooth, c-axis oriented and epitaxial. The rocking curve of the (0010) reflection had a FWHM of 0.27°. A T_c of 92K was achieved without post-annealing.     

Fabrication and Transport Properties of MgB2 Thin Films and Tunnel Junctions

We report on fabrication and characterization of MgB₂ thin films and tunnel junction structures. The MgB₂ films were prepared on Al₂O₃, Si, glass, and plastic foil substrates by either vacuum codeposition of boron and magnesium, or high-temperature magnesium annealing of boron films. The crystalline structure of our films depended directly on the method of preparation. The films prepared by codeposition and postannealed in Ar atmosphere were amorphous with nanocrystal inclusions and were characterized by very smooth surfaces. On the other hand, the boron-precursor films annealed in magnesium vapor were rough, polycrystalline with approximately 1-m-diameter single-crystal blocks. Because of their surface quality, the amorphous films were used for preparation of point contact junctions and for optical characterization. The point-contact spectra of tested junctions exhibited a two-gap structure. The MgB₂ polycrystalline films was used for bulk transport studies. The best films were characterized by the critical temperature T _c of up to 39 K and the current density j _c at 4.2 K of about 10⁷ A/cm².     

Thin film fabrication of nano-porous 12CaO·7Al2O3 crystal and its conversion into transparent conductive films by light illumination

Thin film fabrication of crystalline 12CaO·7Al₂O₃ (C12A7) with zeolitic structure was examined, and their electrical and optical properties were measured. Polycrystalline thin films were prepared by post-annealing of amorphous films in oxygen atmosphere at temperatures above 800 °C. Choice of substrates was crucial for obtaining single-phase thin films. Although various oxide substrates (single crystals of Al₂O₃, Y-stabilized ZrO₂, MgO and silica glass) were examined, single-phase films were obtained only for MgO substrates and the other substrates reacted with the CaO component in the films during post-annealing. The optical band gap of C12A7 was evaluated to be 5.9 eV. Hydride ions were incorporated into the film by a thermal treatment in a hydrogen atmosphere at 1200 °C. The resulting transparent thin films were converted into transparent persistent electronic conductors exhibiting an electrical conductivity 6.2×10⁻¹ S cm⁻¹ at 300 K by ultraviolet light illumination. This is the first example of transparent conductive thin film in which conductive areas can be patterned directly by light.     

Novel Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition / T1F Annealing Route to Thin Films of Tl1Ba2Ca2Cu3O9+x

Thin films of TI₁Ba₂Ca₂Cu₃O_9+x have been grown on single crystal (110) LaAlO₃ by a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition process employing Ba(hfa)₂.mep, Ca(hfa)2.tet. and Cu(dpm)₂ (hfa = hexafluoroacetylacetonate; dpm = dipivaloylmethanate; tet = tetraglyme; mep =methylethylpentaglyme) as the volatile metal sources. A subsequent phase-selective annealing procedure accomplishes thallination using TIF in a bulk oxide pellet. The resulting films are nearly phase-pure and highly oriented and contain negligible fluoride by windowless energy-dispersive x-ray measurements. The films exhibit transport measured T_c = 103 K and J_c > 10⁴ A/cm² (77 K. 0 T) and at low temperatures retain J_c > 10⁵ A/cm² (5 K, 4.5 T) as measured by magnetic hysteresis.     

Strain effects and phase separation tendency in highly strained La0.7Ba0.3MnO3 thin films on LaAlO3 substrates

The magnetic and transport properties of epitaxial La_0.7Ba_0.3MnO₃ films on LaAlO₃ substrates have been investigated and compared with those on SrTiO₃ substrates. It is found that the ferromagnetic and metallic transition temperature of the highly compressive strained films on LaAlO₃ substrates decreases steadily with decreasing film thickness, while it changes little in the lightly strained films on SrTiO₃ substrates. The properties of the films on LaAlO₃ substrates are more sensitive to a post-annealing procedure. A tendency to phase separation, which induces a difference between the insulator-metal transition temperature T_MI and the Curie temperature T_C, is observed for the films with a medium oxygen annealing process. We argue that the phase separation is due to both the highly compressive strain and oxygen deficiency in the films.