Preparation and microstructures of high-current density YBCO films by no-water post-annealing of precursor films including BaF₂

Precursor films are deposited on SrTiO₃ single crystals at room temperature by the co-evaporation technique using Y, BaF₂ and Cu as evaporation sources. Then, the precursor films are annealed in a low-pressure oxygen atmosphere without introduction of water vapor. A sample with a reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) pattern exhibiting some streaks, Kikuchi lines and Kikuchi zone, which resembles that of a single crystal, is successfully prepared. According to the cross-sectional TEM observation results, epitaxial growth of this YBCO film is achieved for the entire film thickness. The transport properties are measured using a small bridge with a width of 0.1 mm and a length of 1 mm by a standard four-probe method. The obtained YBCO film has a high J_c of over 1 MA/cm ² at 77 K and a self-field. Furthermore, we discuss the relationship between the epitaxial YBCO layer thickness and the annealing conditions. Approximately 300- and 400-nm-thick epitaxial YBCO films are successfully prepared.