Preparation of Y-Ba-Cu-O Thin Films by Rf-Magnetron Sputtering

Thin films of Y-Ba-Cu-O compound are prepared by rf-magnetron sputtering technique. Superconductivity appears for those films annealed at 900-930°C. The best thin films exhibit superconducting onset at 86 K and complete zero resistance at 76 K. From the X-ray diffraction analysis, it is found that the films annealed at 920°C have a strong c-axis orientation perpendicular to the film surface. The observed X-ray intensities are in good qualitative agreement with the calculated ones. The results of SEM and Auger electron spectroscopy are also presented.