Scanning tunneling microscopy of pulsed-laser-deposited YBa sub 2 Cu sub 3 O sub 7 minus. delta. epitaxial thin films: Surface microstructure and growth mechanism

Journal Article · Fri Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.44.9760· OSTI ID:6190960

Norton, D P; Lowndes, D H ^[1]; Zheng, X ^[2]; Zhu, S ^[3]; Warmack, R J ^[4]

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1. Solid State Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (USA)
2. Health and Safety Research Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (USA) Department of Physics Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee (USA)
3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee (USA)
4. Health and Safety Research Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P. O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (USA)

Scanning tunneling microscopy suggests that epitaxial YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}} thin films grow unit cell by unit cell, by a terraced-island-growth mode. Although films grown at low temperatures exhibit a spiral-growth surface microstructure, films with high critical current densities (grown at high temperatures on nearly-lattice-matched substrates) do not. The terraced microstructure explains the steps found in ultrathin YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}} layers in YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}}/PrBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}} superlattices. These steps may act as superconducting weak links, providing support for Josephson-coupled-array models of superconducting superlattices.

• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6190960
• Journal Information: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States) Vol. 44:17; ISSN PRBMD; ISSN 0163-1829
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360202* -- Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories-- Structure & Phase Studies
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
BARIUM COMPOUNDS
BARIUM OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COPPER COMPOUNDS
COPPER OXIDES
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
EPITAXY
FILMS
JOSEPHSON EFFECT
LASER RADIATION
MICROSCOPY
MICROSTRUCTURE
MINERALS
OXIDE MINERALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PEROVSKITE
PEROVSKITES
RADIATIONS
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SUPERCONDUCTING FILMS
SUPERLATTICES
THIN FILMS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
YTTRIUM COMPOUNDS
YTTRIUM OXIDES