Superconducting Y1Ba2Cu3O7−<i>x</i>/Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4−<i>y</i> bilayer thin films

Abstract

Bilayers of Y1Ba2Cu3O7−x(YBCO)/Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4−y(NCCO), in which both layers were superconducting, were fabricated in situ by pulsed laser deposition. Using N2O as the reactive gas, we were able to meet the conflicting processing requirements, oxygenation for YBCO, and reduction for NCCO, in the same sample with a specific cooling procedure. The bilayer thin films were c-axis oriented with a transition temperature, Tco, of 88.5 K for YBCO and 18.5 K for NCCO. Supercurrent was observed across the interface of the YBCO and NCCO superconducting layers, indicating the phase coherence between these superconductors.