Out-of-substrate plane orientation control of thin YBa2Cu3Ox films on NdGaO3 tilted-axes substrates

Epitaxial heterostructures YBa2Cu3Ox(YBCO)/CeO2/NdGaO3 were prepared on tilted-axes NdGaO3 substrates using laser ablation technique. Morphology, crystal structure and electrical properties of the obtained films were characterized. The seeding mechanisms are affected by the tilt angle, resulting in superior YBCO films on NdGaO3 substrates in an intermediate range of tilt angles of 6-14 degrees. The introduction of CeO2 layer leads to change of the YBCO film orientation: at low deposition rate c-oriented films are formed, while at high deposition rates the film grows with c-axis tilted along the [110] NdGaO3 direction. Bi-epitaxial films and structures were prepared by removal of part of the CeO2 layer using ion-beam milling. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.