IN-SITU PREPARATION OF Y1BA2CU4O8 THIN-FILMS BY THE LASER-ABLATION TECHNIQUE

Thin films of Y1Ba2Cu4O8 have been prepared by the laser ablation of s intered Y1Ba2Cu4O8 targets, followed by a short in situ oxygen anneali ng. The films obtained under optimum conditions show a high degree of phase purity compared to the films obtained by the other methods. The films' surface morphology has been studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM), their crystalline structure was examined by the X-ray diffracti on (XRD) method, and their transport characteristics have been measure d by the DC four-probe technique. It is shown that the fabricated film s are of high enough quality to be considered for device applications.