Superconducting YBa2Cu3O7−x thin films on alkaline earth fluorides

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Abstract
Alkaline earth fluorides have low dielectric constants and large band gaps. In addition, they are chemically compatible with and several can be grown epitaxially on silicon and compound semiconductors. We have deposited YBa2Cu3O7−x thin films (200–500 nm thick) directly on (001) SrF2, (001) BaF2, (001) MgF2, and unoriented CaF2 single crystals by laser deposition. The substrate temperature was about 720 °C and the vacuum chamber was at 350 mTorr of oxygen. For this work, no additional annealing outside the deposition chamber was done after deposition. The deposited YBa2Cu3O7−x films were superconducting and exhibited transition temperatures Tc (R=0) of 83, 73, and 74 K on MgF2, SrF2, and BaF2, respectively. Structural studies by x‐ray diffraction showed that YBa2Cu3O7−x films on MgF2, SrF2, and BaF2 were polycrystalline and exhibited some (00L) textures. Deposition on CaF2 substrates resulted in yellowish, insulating films with Ca‐ and Ba‐rich interfacial reaction products.