Effects of deposition conditions on the superconducting properties of r.f. and d.c. magnetron sputter-deposited YBa2Cu3O7−x films

Abstract Thin films of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7− x were r.f. and d.c. magnetron sputter deposited onto silicon, Al 2 O 3 , MgO, BaTiO 3 and SrTiO 3 substrates at up to 700°C from a stoichiometric oxide target in an argon and O 2 mixture. Stoichiometric films were obtained using a substrate-to-target configuration so that bombardment of the growing film by energetic particles is minimized. These films show an ending T c of about 87 K when deposited on SrTiO 3 (100) at 300°C and after annealing in flowing O 2 at 900°C for about 1 min, or an ending T c of 76 K when deposited on Si(100) at 650°C without further high temperature treatments. The effects of substrate, deposition temperature, and substrate bias on the superconducting properties of these films are presented.