Thin films of BiSrCaCu oxide prepared by laser evaporation

We have prepared BiSrCaCuO superconducting thin films by the pulsed laser evaporation method, using a YAG or an ArF excimer laser. The as-deposited films, which were enriched in Cu with respect to the bulk target composition Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 O 8 (i.e., the “2212” phase), were converted into the superconducting phase by a subsequent high temperature annealing in oxygen. Resistivity measurements showed superconducting transitions near 90 K, and the highest zero resistivity temperature was 83 K. The influence of the deposition parameters (photon wavelength) and annealing conditions (temperature, duration, and atmosphere) have been studied. The composition and in-depth distribution of the various elements were determined by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), and the surface morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).