Bi-epitaxial YBa2Cu3Ox Thin Films on Tilted-axes NdGaO3 Substrates with CeO2 Seeding Layer

Abstract

Bi-epitaxial YBa2Cu3Ox (YBCO) thin films with out-of-plane tilt angle in the range 18 - 27° were manufactured using pulsed laser deposition on NdGaO3 tilted-axes substrates with CeO2 seeding layers. The YBCO thin film orientation over the seeding layer depended on deposition conditions. Removal of the seeding layer from part of the substrate surface by ionbeam etching resulted in formation of a bi-epitaxial thin film with different c-axis orientation of two parts of the film. The bi-epitaxial film orientation and structure were studied using X-ray diffraction techniques, and surface morphology was observed with atomic force microscope (AFM). Photolithography and ion-beam etching techniques were used for patterning bi-epitaxial thin films. Electrical characterization of the obtained structures was performed.