Orientation relationships of epitaxial oxide buffer layers on silicon (100) for high-temperature superconducting YBa2Cu3O7−x films

The preparation parameters of epitaxially grown buffer layers on silicon (100) wafers were investigated. We found that an in situ removal of the native amorphous SiO2 layer from the Si surface is possible, avoiding the etching of the wafer prior to the deposition. YSZ and Y2O3 were chosen as buffer layers for subsequent YBa2Cu3O7−x thin-film deposition. The orientation of the thin films during the deposition process was analyzed by RHEED. Different orientations on the substrates are obtained depending on the evaporation parameters. TEM studies of the interfaces, x-ray diffraction analysis, and measurements of the superconducting properties were made after the deposition of the films.