Pulsed Microwave Processing of High-TC Superconducting Films

ABSTRACTWe have used 2.0-μsec microwave pulses at a frequency of 2.856 GHz to rapidly heat thin amorphous yttrium-barium-copper-oxide (YBCO) films deposited onto silicon substrates. The samples were irradiated inside a WR-284 waveguide by single-pass TE10 pulses in a traveling wave geometry. X-ray diffractometry studies show that an amorphous-to-crystalline phase transition occurs for incident pulse powers exceeding about 6 MW, in which case the amorphous YBCO layer is converted to Y2BaCuO5. Microscopy of the irradiated film reveals that the phase transition is brought about by melting of the YBCO precursor film and crystallization of the molten layer upon solidification. Time-resolved in situ experiments of the microwave reflectivity (R) and transmissivity (T) show that there is an abrupt change in R for microwave pulse powers exceeding the melt threshold, so that measurements of R and T can be used to monitor the onset of surface melting.