Characterization and in situ fluorescence diagnostic of the deposition of YBa2Cu3O7-x thin films by pseudo-spark electron beam ablation

The pseudo-spark electron beam ablation (PSA) technique is a comparatively simple and inexpensive method to deposit thin films of oxide materials. The effect of the electron beam power density on the efficiency of the PSA is studied. Results concerning the optimization of the deposition process of high quality superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-x thin films on single crystal SrTiO3 substrates are reported. Correlation between processing parameters and superconducting properties of the thin films are presented: in particular, the effects of the break-down voltage of the pseudo-spark and geometrical arrangement of the target-substrate-beam system on the Tc of the resulting films. In situ spectral analysis of the radiative emission from the plasma plume has been performed at different distances from the surface of the target and at different break-down voltages of the pseudo-spark. The role of the oxygen pressure in the PSA process, which could be one order of magnitude less than that for a typical laser ablation system, is discussed. (author). 17 refs, 7 figs, 1 tab