In situ preparation of RENi2B2C (RE-Y, Ho) thin films by pulsed laser deposition

Thin films of RENi2B2C (RE - Y, Ho) have been prepared in situ by pulsed la ser deposition on MgO(100) substrates with and without tungsten buffer laye rs. We find that the formation of impurity phases is strongly dependent on the substrate used, indicating a substrate-film reaction. The films are pol ycrystalline and mainly c-axis oriented. The YNi2B2C films show sharp super conducting transitions up to 14.7 K with a transition width of 0.3 K. With the HoNi2B2C films, superconductivity was found at 8.5 K with a transition width of 0.5 K. In YNi2B2C films we find a higher anisotropy of B-c2(T) tha n for single crystals, while the HoNi2B2C films show the same behavior as s ingle crystals. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.