• Matsumoto, Y.
• Chikyow, T.
• Kanda, N.
• Song, J. H.
• Choi, B. D.
• Yun, K. S.
• Koinuma, H.
• Ahmet, P.
• Itoh, T.

Abstract

<jats:p>We report on the fabrication of single-crystalline thin films of RBa2Cu3O7−y (R: rare-earth element, R123) using an approach of vapor–liquid–solid tri-phase epitaxy. This method is based on application of pulsed-laser deposition under appropriate compositions and conditions predetermined from the relevant thermodynamic phase diagram. The laser-ablated gases of R, Ba, and Cu, and their oxides dissolve into a liquid Ba3Cu5Ox (3BaCuO2+2CuO) layer placed on the film/substrate surface, penetrate to reach the liquid–solid interface with a seed R123, and are condensed into the solid R123 phase under a quasiequilibrium state. The uniform single-crystalline nature of the film was verified by x-ray diffraction, atomic-force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy by the observation of giant grain size and atomic-scale surface smoothness.</jats:p>

Topics

• Deposition
• impedance spectroscopy
• surface
• grain
• grain size
• phase
• x-ray diffraction
• thin film
• transmission electron microscopy
• phase diagram