LOW TEMPERATURE FABRICATION OF HIGH TC SUPERCONDUCTING THIN FILMS BY PLASMA ENHANCED MOCVD PROCESS

THE TECHNIQUE OF LOW TEMPERATURE IN SITU FORMATION OF HIGH TC SUPERCONDUCTING THIN FILMS IS CRUCIAL FOR EARLY APPLICATIONS OF COPPER OXIDE-BASED CERAMIC WITH SUPERCONDUCTIVITY ABOVE LIQUID NITROGEN TEMPERATURE. SUCH PROCESS WILL PERMIT DEPOSITION OF HIGH QUALITY, SMOOTH SURFACE AND HIGH DENSITY, HIGH TC SUPERCONDUCTING FILMS ON A VARIETY OF SUBSTRATES. THE PROPOSED NOVEL PROCESS SUBSTITUTES ELECTRON KINETIC ENERGY FOR CONVENTIONAL THERMAL ENERGY AND EHANCES COMPOUND FORMATION WITH THE PRESENCE OF ACTIVATED OXYGEN GENERATED FROM DISSOCIATION OF N(2)O, THUS OFFERS LOW TEMPERATURE DEPOSITION, NON-EQUILIBRIUM FILM COMPOSITIONS, AND HIGH PRODUCT PURITY. IN ADDITION CVD PROCESS OFFERS THE ADVANTAGES OF APPLICABLE TO INEXPENSIVE AND LARGE SCALE FABRICATION. OUR PRELIMINARY RESULTS DEMONSTRATED THAT TEXTURED, HIGH DENSITY, MIRROR SMOOTH SURFACE, AND LOW CARBON YBCO FILMS HAVE BEEN IN SITU FORMED AT A REDUCED TEMPERATURE AS LOW AS 570 DEG C. FURTHER REDUCING DEPOSITION TEMPERATURE BY INCREASING MICROWAVE PLASMA POWER IS PROPOSED. OUR RESULTS INDICATES THIS METHOD IS A PROMISING PROCESS FOR SUPERCONDUCTING DEVICE TECHNOLOGY.