Microstructural characterization of YBCO thin films grown on YSZ

Ultrathin films of YBa2Cu3O7-delta with good crystallinity and superconductivity were prepared, by a, modified off-axis sputtering with an Eu2CuO4 buffer layer. The microstructure of YBCO thin films with or without buffer layer, were studied by using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray techniques. It was found that the epitaxy and crystallinity of the grown YBCO have been significantly enhanced by using the ECO buffer layer, and the surface of the YBCO films with buffer is more smooth. The results also show that the ECO buffer can efficiently block the interaction between YBCO and yttria stabilized ZrO2 substrate.