Deposition and interface structures of YBCO thin films via a non-fluorine sol–gel route

Abstract

Previous work on YBa 2Cu 3O x (YBCO) thin films deposited by fluorine-based sol–gel synthesis has been extensively reported. To further develop grain-textured YBCO thin films for conductor development, we deposited, via a fluorine-free sol–gel synthesis, YBCO thin films on single crystal substrates of yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and LaAlO 3 (LAO). Sol–gel-derived films on the YSZ and LAO substrates exhibited epitaxial growth. This result was confirmed by both X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). A transport J c above 10 5 A/cm 2 has been reached at 77 K and zero magnetic field. Experimental details are reported on the sol–gel synthesis, XRD and HRTEM characterization of the YBCO thin films. Also discussed is the underlying crystallization mechanism of the YBCO phase on these substrates.