Characterization and in situ fluorescence diagnostic of the deposition of YBa2Cu3O7-x thin films by pseudo-spark electron beam ablation

The pseudo-spark electron beam ablation (PSA) technique is a comparatively simple and inexpensive method of depositing thin films of oxide materials. The effects of both the breakdown voltage of the discharge and the oxygen pressure on the power density of a pulsed electron beam and on the efficiency of the PSA process are studied. The PSA technique is applied to the deposition of YBa2Cu3O7-x thin films on single crystal SrTiO3 and MgO substrates. Thin films with zero resistance transition temperature around 87 K have been prepared at breakdown voltages from 18 to 25 kV. The role of the oxygen pressure in the PSA process, which is typically one order of magnitude less than that for a typical laser ablation system, is discussed. In situ spectral analysis of the radiative emission from the plasma plume has also been performed at different breakdown voltages of the discharge in an attempt to understand the behaviour of the target constituents in response to intensive pulsed electron beams.