The effects of annealing step-edges on SrTiO/sub 3/ and MgO single-crystal substrates on YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ Josephson junctions

The effect of annealing step-edges on SrTiO/sub 3/ and MgO single-crystal substrates on Josephson junctions of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/, has been studied. The step-edge was fabricated by argon-ion milling technique and was annealed at 1050/spl deg/C in oxygen atmosphere. YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ thin film was deposited on the annealed step-edge by a standard pulsed laser deposition. The effect of annealing the step-edge on the junction was characterized by AFM and current-voltage (I-V)characteristic. The annealed step-edge on SrTiO/sub 3/ and MgO substrates showed that the surface of the substrates was smoother and I-V characteristic of Josephson junction improved.