Microstructure and properties of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ thin films grown on vicinal LaAlO/sub 3/ substrates

Thin films of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ have been grown on vicinal LaAlO/sub 3/ substrates by pulsed-laser deposition. In most cases, the substrate surface, nominally [001], has been rotated /spl sim/6/spl deg/ about an axis parallel to the <110> direction. Films grown on these surfaces were found to have substantially improved properties compared to those obtained for films deposited on [001]-oriented substrates under equivalent conditions at our facility. The surface morphology of the films exhibited an elongated granular structure which differed markedly from the more equiaxed grain structure found in films grown on [001]-oriented substrates. Furthermore, this particular elongated morphology and improvement in properties seems to occur only for films deposited at higher laser energies (/spl sim/30J/cm/sup 2/).<
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