THE POSSIBILITIES AND LIMITATIONS OF ION-BEAM ETCHING OF YBA2CU3O7-X THIN-FILMS AND MICROBRIDGES

Patterning of high-T-c thin films and multilayer systems is a key tech nology for device application. We use Ar+ ion-beam etching for thin-fi lm patterning and carried out an optimization of the main etching para meters like ion energy and substrate temperature for damage-free etchi ng in the case of patterning microbridges. To investigate the behavior of surface-etched films we compared electrical measurements obtained on step by step thinned YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) films to those deposited wi th different thicknesses and carried out X-ray diffraction measurement s at the etched surfaces. The damaging effect on surface by ion-beam e tching was investigated in terms of measuring the critical temperature and critical current density of thinned microbridges. We show example s how to use this technology in device modification.