Nucleation and Heteroepitaxy of YBa2Cu3O7-δ thin films
The nucleation and heteroepitactic growth of YBa2Cu3O7−δ thin-films has been studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The films were formed by pulsed-laser ablation and then observed in the TEM without further sample preparation. Direct observation of the early stages of film growth is possible due to the utilization of a new specimen-preparation technique. The films were deposited directly onto specially prepared electron-transparent substrates. The substrate material used in this study was single-crystal, (001)-oriented MgO. The thin-foil substrates were prepared from bulk single-crystal substrates in the following manner. Discs of 3mm diameter were cored, polished and dimpled to produce a final sample thickness of 10 - 20μm. The samples were ion milled to perforation using 5 kV Ar+ ions, then chemically cleaned. The cleaned foils were annealed in air at 1350°C for 10min. The annealing temperature is such that sufficient atomic mobility enables the formation of a series of steps on the surface.