Gl. Waytena et al., EXPERIMENTAL-EVIDENCE OF RESPUTTERING OF THE YTTRIA LAYER IN A YBA2CU3O7-X Y2O3 YBA2CU3O7-X TRILAYER FILM, Journal of applied physics, 76(4), 1994, pp. 2380-2386
Using transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spe
ctroscopy analysis, the microstructure and composition of a YBa2Cu3O7-
x/Y2O3/YBa2Cu3O7-x trilayer film deposited on MgO by off-axis sputteri
ng at 670-degrees-C and 100 mTorr was investigated. The YBa2Cu3O7-x la
yer in contact with the substrate was found to be mainly single phase.
However, the top YBa2Cu3O7-x layer was embedded with 5-10 nm crystall
ine Y2O3 (yttria) particles, which disturbed the local microstructure.
The top YBa2Cu3O7-x layer also had barium copper oxide particles cove
ring its surface. The partial decomposition of the top YBa2Cu3O7-x lay
er may have been due to resputtering of the yttria layer which locally
altered the deposition conditions. In particular, the oxygen pressure
in the vicinity of the growing film may have increased due to sputter
ing of the yttria layer by plasma gas atoms and the sputtered target a
toms. As a result, deposition occurred under conditions away from the
thermodynamic stability line.