Superconducting Properties of YBa2Cu3O7−x Thin Films by Plasma Enhanced Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition

YBa2Cu3O7−x superconducting thin films have been successfully grown on a variety of single crystal substrates by plasma enhanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition (PE-MOCVD). The superconducting transition temperatures of the films deposited on yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), SrTiO3, and sapphire are 86K, 85K, 82K, respectively. Results of AC susceptibility measurements are very close to those of DC resistance measurements, indicating that these films are homogeneous. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) profiling exhibits uniform composition throughout the depth of these films. The critical current density is about 2 × 104 A/cm2 at 70K. Scanning electron micrographs show that the films deposited on different substrates have very different surface morphologies. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrates that these films have a strong preferred orientation with c-axis perpendicular to the substrate surface.