Heteroepitaxial multilayer of YBa2Cu3O7 and PrBa2Cu3O7 on SrTiO3 and LaAlO3 substrates by sputtering

Abstract

We have successfully fabricated epitaxially grown YBa2Cu3O7/PrBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO/PBCO) multilayer thin films on SrTiO3 and LaAlO3 substrates by dc/rf magnetron sputtering. The thicknesses of YBCO and PBCO varied from 1 to 8 unit cells. Satellite peaks in x-ray diffraction patterns clearly indicate the formation of periodic modulation structures of different wavelengths. At a certain thickness of the YBCO layer, the zero resistance transition temperature Tc0 decreased with the increase of the PBCO layer thickness. In contrast, Tc0 increased with the increase of the YBCO layer thickness at a constant PBCO layer thickness.