Reduced YSZ deposition temperatures for YBa2Cu3Ox/YSZ thin films on sapphire

Abstract

Thin films of Y-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) were deposited by RF diode sputtering on R-plane sapphire as a buffer layer for the deposition of YBa2Cu3O3 (YBCO). By increasing the partial pressure of oxygen in the sputter gas mixture from 20% to 50%, it was found that the substrate temperature required to obtain (100) oriented YSZ deposition could be lowered to 630 °C from 800 °C. This change is attributed to heating or mixing effects at the film surface, due to an increase in negative ion bombardment, which supplements the effects of external heating. Increases in the partial pressure of oxygen beyond 50% were found to be counterproductive. YBCO films, deposited on the YSZ buffer layers via magnetron sputtering, showed c-axis orientation and transition temperatures of 82 K. Orientation of both the YSZ and YBCO films was confirmed by x-ray diffraction and SEM characterization.