Silver-assisted growth of NdBa2Cu3O7−δ thin films: An approach for the growth of superior quality ceramic oxide films

Abstract

We have grown NdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ films under silver atomic flux by molecular beam epitaxy, which show a drastic improvement in microstructure and also crystallinity leading to 30 % enhancement in critical current density. The most remarkable point is that the final film is free from silver. The key to our process in achieving a silver-free film was the use of RF-activated oxygen that oxidizes silver, nonvolatile, to silver oxide, volatile at the deposition temperature. This process enables one to utilize the beneficial effects of silver in the growth of oxide films and at the same time ensures that the final film be free from silver, which is important for high-frequency applications. This method can be made use in the growth of thin films of other complex oxide materials. a) Present address: TU Darmstadt,

Modification of energy band alignment and electric properties of Pt/Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3/Pt thin-film ferroelectric varactors by Ag impurities at interfaces

“…5,6 Enhancement of dielectric properties with Ag-doping was demonstrated in Ag-BST ceramic composite 7 and Ag-doped BST thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition 8 and sol-gel coating techniques. 9 The positive effect of Ag doping is attributed to the following two processes: (i) stronger oxygenation of the BST films by additional supply of more reactive atomic oxygen by metastable volatile AgO species reducing the amount of oxygen vacancies; 8 (ii) stronger pinning of domain walls in the presence of silver impurities.…”

Effects Of Negative Ag Ions On The Surface Of (200) Single-Crystalline MgO Substrates

“…Particular interest lies on material modification wherein ions are used to alter the structure of a crystalline material to some degree. For instance, deposition of silver ions on single-crystalline samples like MgO may be utilized as a substrate for type II superconductors to enhance its critical current density [5]. Thus, it is important to choose the proper ion source coupled with its corresponding beam parameters when performing this specific material processing.…”