The growth mechanism and topography of superconducting YBa2Cu3O7−δ and BiSrCaCuO-2201 films studied by scanning tunneling microscopy

✍ Scribed by Xing Zhu; G.C. Xiong; R. Liu; Y.J. Li; G.J. Lian; J. Li; Z.Z. Gan

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 822 KB
• Volume: 216
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0921-4534
• DOI: 10.1016/0921-4534(93)90646-8

✦ Synopsis

The growth mechanism and surface topography of YBazCus07_s (YBCO) and BiSrCaCuO-2201 (BSCCO) epitaxially grown superconducting films have been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy. We report here two growth mechanisms: screw dis location growth and layered growth, and also the surface characterization and surface modification of thin films under a controlled manner. High-quality epitaxial thin films were grown in situ by excimer laser ablation. YBCO thin films were epitaxially grown with the c-axis perpendicular to the SrTiOs ( 100) substrate surface. On the flat substrate, the YBCO films were nucleated and grown in the screw dislocation manner. On the tilted substrate ((Y < 1 deg.), the films show layered growth. The etching caused by field-induced evaporation has been utilized to observe the initial stage of growth. Epitaxially grown BSCCO-2201 films were firstly synthesized in our laboratory with the c-axis perpendicular to the ZrOz substrates. Layered growth has been observed by STM. No screw dislocations were identified in our samples. Larger atomic flat areas were present, which are more stable than YBCO films. As a parent phase for the BSCCO 2212, 2223 series, the study of the growth mechanism of 2201 films is very important to the synthesis of superconducting 2212,2223 or other artificial layered thin films.