Preparation and properties of superconducting BaPb/sub 1-x/Bi/sub x/O3 thin films by sputtering

Superconducting thin films of BaPb/sub 1-x/Bi/sub x/O3 with transition temperature above 9 K were successfully prepared by rf diode sputtering and subsequent annealing. It was found that sputtered films tended to lack Pb and Bi during deposition, so that targets with excess Pb and Bi were used in order to achieve the film stoichiometry. Sufficient oxygen partial pressure during discharge was found to be requisite for obtaining thin films with low resistivity, high T/sub c/, and sharp superconducting transition. The films admit optical transmission to a small extent in the wavelength range from 500 to 700 nm. Based on these results, some aspects of the band structure are discussed