Influence of deposition conditions on the growth of micron-thick highly c-axis textured superconducting GdBa2Cu3O7-δ films on SrTiO3 (100)

Abstract

A fundamental understanding of film processing conditions and its effect on the microstructure, crystallinity, and electrical properties of thick layers of a GdBa2Cu3O7-δ (GdBaCuO) superconductor is necessary to optimize material requirements for its applications. In this work, the authors investigated the surface microstructure, crystalline quality, and superconducting properties of GdBaCuO thick films on (100) SrTiO3 single crystal substrates prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). To clarify the effect of PLD growth conditions the substrate temperature, oxygen partial pressure, and laser fluence were systematically varied, then their impact was correlated on the microstructure and superconducting properties of thick layers of GdBaCuO films. By optimizing these growth conditions, the authors successfully obtained preferentially c-axis textured and superconducting films with a uniform and homogeneous layer up to 3.8 μm thick. Based on these results, the authors provide a key guiding principle in achie...