Epitaxial growth of YBa2Cu3O7−<i>x</i> thin films on (110) SrTiO3 single crystals by activated reactive evaporation

Abstract

The orientation of YBa2Cu3O7−x thin films grown on (110) planes of SrTiO3 by activated reactive evaporation was investigated by means of reflection high-energy electron diffraction. The orientation of the films depended on the substrate temperature. The films with (110) planes parallel to the substrate surface grew in a narrow range of substrate temperatures around 530 °C, while the films with (103) planes parallel to the surface grew at temperatures above 600 °C. The change of the epitaxial orientation with the substrate temperature is discussed in terms of the temperature dependence of the lattice mismatch between YBa2Cu3O7−x and SrTiO3.