Control of Composition and Microstructure in High-Temperature Superconductors at the Atomic Level by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

J. N. Eckstein, I. Bozovic, M. E. Klausmeier-Brown, G. F. Virshup, K. S. Ralls

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

With accurate control of the ALL-MBE process, films with intrinsic and bulklike superconductive properties can be synthesized. The reaction coordinate for the growth of each molecular layer can be monitored by RHEED, revealing details of the chemical intermediate states occurring in real time. Furthermore, by utilizing such kinetic control, distinct reaction coordinate paths can be chosen. Complex heterostructures can be grown, where each molecular layer exhibits near-intrinsic superconductive properties, allowing meaningful study of superconductive transport in engineered multilayers. In particular, these experiments have provided evidence that the fundamental superconductive state is two-dimensional. By using this technique to construct trilayers with metastable and doped barriers, Josephson junctions with low residual current and sharp I-V features have been fabricated. Furthermore, by doping with a variety of trivalent cations on the divalent Ca sites, a tuning of over three orders of magnitude in Ic and Rn with constant IcRn voltage was obtained, indicating that transport through the available elastic channels was systematically engineered.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)27-33
Number of pages7
JournalMRS Bulletin
Volume17
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1992
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

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