Reduced splashing effect in laser ablated superconducting thin films formed from a melt-quenched nonsuperconducting amorphous target

Abstract

Comparison of superconducting thin films of Bi–Sr–Ca–Cu–O deposited by laser ablation from a melt-quenched, amorphous, nonsuperconducting target and a polycrystalline sintered superconducting target shows that they have similar superconducting properties, but the melt-quenched target yields a much smoother film. Additionally, the melt-quenched target is much easier to prepare with target preparation time reduced by a factor of twenty-five.