YBa2Cu3O7-CeO2 superconducting epitaxial thin films: Growth and structural characterization

Abstract

YBa2Cu3O7 95%- CeO2 5% nanocomposite thin films on monocrystalline SrTiO3(001) and LaAlO3(001) substrates were obtained using Pulsed Laser Deposition technique. Their crystalline structure, morphology and electrical resistance versus temperature behavior were obtained and compared with conventional (single) YBa2Cu3O7 thin films. The nanocomposite samples are c-axis oriented and epitaxial as conventional films, and remarkably have a significatively lower roughness than conventional YBCO samples. YBa2Cu3O7-CeO2 nanocomposite films maintain the superconducting character with high Tc around 88K and they have a narrow transition width of 2K.