As-grown crystallized thin films on Bi(Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O by single-target magnetron sputtering

As-grown crystallized superconducting thin films of Bi(Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O have been prepared on MgO(100) at 620–720°C by dc magnetron sputtering using a single target. The targets used were Bi x Pb 1 Sr 2 Ca 2.2 Cu 3 O y ( x =2.0 and 2.5) in nominal composition. The obtained films had a smooth surface and exhibited a high degree of c -axis orientation perpendicular to the substrate. The c -axis lattice constant of the films was controlled to the values of about 24, 31, 37 and 43 Å by changing the substrate temperature, respectively. As a result, the superconducting properties of the films were strongly affected by the substrate temperatures during film growth. These results also showed that the films with different c -axis lattice constants (i.e., different numbers of CuO 2 planes) were easily prepared by a simple single-target sputtering.