Competitive nucleation and growth control of a- and c-axis YBCO films by metal organic deposition.

This paper utilizes the TFA-MOD (Trifluoroacetate Metal-Organic Decomposition) method to prepare YB 2 C 3 O 7-δ (YBCO) superconducting films on a LaMnO 3 metal substrate. Using a self-made process curve, we investigate the nucleation and growth orientation of crystals at various temperatures under specific oxygen partial pressures (P O2). We successfully obtain an oxygen partial pressure-temperature phase diagram at a fixed time. This diagram provides critical insight into the trends that guide our regulation of parameters to ultimately achieve a relatively pure a -axis oriented YBCO film. Temperature and nucleation rate are important parameters that influence crystal nucleation orientation. The key conditions for producing a -axis-oriented YBCO films include low temperature, high Δ μ , and extended crystallization time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]