Characterization of the Ag/YBa2Cu3O7-x contact in thin films

Silver (Ag) contacts to very thin superconducting YBa2Cu3O7−x films were prepared by thermal evaporation. The nature of the Ag/YBa2Cu3O7−x contact during thermal treatment was in situ investigated by a combination of three‐ and four‐terminal resistance measurements. The experimental results suggested that the interaction between Ag and the YBa2Cu3O7−x film began at a temperature of around 370 °C. The contact resistance measurement for different films also demonstrated that the contact property was a strong function of the film quality and surface conditions. The lack of reproducibility in forming a low‐resistance contact to very thin YBa2Cu3O7−x films and the high probability of degrading the film quality after thermal treatment of the contact might be due to the excess Ag doping in YBa2Cu3O7−x. Ag island formation, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy after thermal treatment of the contact, is a limitation of Ag for use as a good contact electrode for very thin superconducting films.