Synthesis Of C-Oriented Ybba2cu3o7-Delta Films On Single And Polycrystalline Substrates By Oxidation Of Liquid Alloys

Textured superconducting films of YbBa2Cu3O7-δ supported on single and polycrystalline substrates were prepared by oxidation of a liquid precursor alloy. The substrates were coated by dipping them into a molten alloy (YbBa2Cu3, m.p. ~870°C), withdrawing them from the melt, then oxidizing the adhering liquid alloy layer to the corresponding oxide phase, i.e., YbBa2Cu3O7-δ. Samples prepared in this way exhibited a superconducting transition at ~80 K following annealing in pure O2 at 500°C. With SrTiO3 (100) and MgO (100) substrates, evidence was seen for the epitaxial growth of YbBa2Cu3O7-δ crystals having their c-axis parallel to the [100] direction of the substrate. For polycrystalline MgO, x-ray diffraction and microstructural examination showed that the high-Tc crystallites in the films were also oriented with their c-axis perpendicular to the substrate surface, but the a and b axes directions were randomly oriented rather than epitaxial.