SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPY OF NDBA2CU3OX THIN-FILM SURFACES

We have found that NdBa2Cu3Ox (NBCO) thin films, fabricated by the las er ablation process, have highly stable and smooth surfaces. Clear spi ral patterns with 4-5 terraces are observed all over the film area wit h an atomic force microscope (AFM) operating in air. We have also obta ined atomically resolved image of the spiral terraces using AFM, and a lso using ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope. This study s uggests that NBCO film is a good candidate for device applications. (C ) 1995 American Institute of Physics.