Formation of high Tc superconducting films by organometallic chemical vapor deposition

The first growth of superconducting YBaCuO films by organometallic chemical vapor deposition is described. Metal β-diketonates were decomposed thermally on MgO substrates in an oxygen-rich atmosphere to produce amorphous brown films. Subsequent annealing in oxygen yielded dull gray films whose thickness corresponded to deposition rates of approximately 8 nm min^-1. These films showed semiconductor-like behavior at higher temperatures, followed by a broad resistive transition from 80 to 36 K with the resistance becoming zero at ∼20 K. Analysis of x-ray data indicated the presence of the orthorhombic superconducting phase and various other metal oxides. Profilometer measurements yielded film thicknesses up to 950 nm, and scanning electron microscopy revealed faceted grains from 0.5 to 1.0 μm in size.