In situ observation of the growth of ribbon-like thin films of Bi-2212 on an Ag substrate

We have developed a simple technique to grow ribbon-like single crystalline films of Bi-2212 on Ag substrates. The process is performed under ambient pressure only by heating a Bi-2212 pellet on the edge of the substrates.(1) The ribbon-like films thus grown showed sharp superconducting transitions with an onset temperature of similar to 80 K. The formation of the ribbons was studied by observing their growth with a h igh- temperature microscope. In situ observation with the microscope reveal ed that most of the ribbon crystals grew during the 10 minutes of the plate au at 905 degrees C. In particular, the early part of the plateau was the d ominant stage of growth.