Growth of YBaCuO thin films on random and (100) aligned ZrO₂ substrates

The growth quality of thin, superconducting YBaCuO films has been compared on random and (100) oriented yttrium-stabilized zirconia substrates using x-ray diffraction and ion channeling experiments. Superior growth is observed on (100) substrates with narrow mosaic distributions (0.4°) and a minimum yield value of 10% in the channeling experiment. The lattice matching required for epitaxial growth is achieved by azimuthal adjustment of the film plane with respect to the substrate. The superior growth is reflected in the film properties like the critical current density yielding values of 2×10 ⁶ A/cm² at 77 K.