Depositing In 2O 3 films as conductive buffer layers for high temperature YBa 2Cu 3O 7− x superconducting thin films on silicon

Abstract

By depositing a conductive buffer layer of In 2O 3, we have been able to prepare superconducting YBa 2Cu 3O 7− x on silicon by d.c. magnetron sputtering. The buffer layer sputtered by the reactive d.c. magnetron method was used to minimize the interdiffusion between silicon and the superconductor. The typical as-deposited superconducting thin film, without subsequent high temperature annealing, has a T c onset at 96 K with zero resistance at 81 K. X-ray diffraction data indicate that the films have a preferential c axis oriented structure. Depth profiling by Auger electron spectroscopy has been employed to study the diffusion and structural variation near the interfaces.