Observation of two-dimensional layer-by-layer growth of epitaxial films with high on and by pulsed-laser deposition

Superconductivity Research Laboratory, ISTEC 1-10-13 Shinonome, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0062, Japan

Corresponding author: mrst@istec.or.jp

Received: 12 March 2002
Accepted: 15 October 2002

Abstract

We report the surface characteristics and superconducting properties of epitaxial thin films grown on (100) and (100) substrates by pulsed-laser deposition technique from a stoichiometric target. The films grown under the newly optimised deposition parameters showed a clear two-dimensional nucleation followed by a layer-by-layer growth resulting in a very smooth surface with typical root-mean-square surface roughness as low as 0.5 for a area. The films showed high crystallinity and excellent in-plane epitaxy. Also the films showed good metallicity and gave a zero resistance superconducting transition of 92 with a narrow transition width of . Even the films with thickness above 400 grew in the same growth mode indicating that there was no change in the growth mode of films with increasing thickness under the newly optimised deposition condition. The realization of reproducible growth of films with high and smooth surface on will have tremendous application in superconducting microwave devices.