Characterization of epitaxial Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ thin films

We report a dc sputtering method for the fullin situ preparation of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 thin films on SrTiO3 and LaAlO3.T c values of more than 90 K can be achieved by oxidizing annealing below the melting point, followed by a reducing anneal at 500°C. The structural properties of the films are revealed by X-ray diffraction in Bragg-Brentano geometry (strongc-axis orientation with FWHM (0 0 10)=0.3) and also by scans (epitaxy within the substrate plane). Rutherford backscattering and channeling confirmed the correct composition of the cations while the minimum yield, min, is 23%. Depth profiles by SNMS show a very homogeneous distribution of the cations with no detectable loss of bismuth near the surface. The surface morphology of the films was studied by SEM and by STM. Patterning of the films in lateral geometry can be performed by photolithographic techniques without degradation ofT c