Preferential axis control of YBa2Cu3Ox thin film by quasilattice-match engineering

The lowest temperature for c-axis preferred oriented thin film growth is investigated for films on different substrate materials. This temperature has a maximum when the lattice constant of the substrate matches that of YBa ₂Cu₃O_x. This result readily explains a-axis preferred oriented film growth by the template technique. We propose quasilattice-match engineering as a technique for controlling the preferential orientation axis of a part of a YBa₂Cu₃O_x thin film by using a seed layer whose lattice mismatch differs from that of the substrate. The part of the YBa₂Cu₃O_x thin film on a PrGaO₃ seed layer is a-axis oriented and the film directly deposited on a SrTiO₃ substrate is c-axis oriented.