Low temperature annealing (<400°C) of YBa2Cu3O7x in a ozone containing oxygen atmosphere is sometimes carried out to oxygenate oxygen deficient thin films. Also, this technique can be used to fully oxygenate thinned TEM specimens when oxygen depletion in thin regions is suspected. However, the effects on the microstructure nor the extent of oxygenation of specimens has not been documented for specimens exposed to an ozone atmosphere. A particular concern is the fact that the ozone gas is so reactive and the oxygen diffusion rate at these temperatures is so slow that it may damage the specimen by an over-reaction. Thus we report here the results of an investigation on the microstructural effects of exposing a thinned YBa2Cu3O7-x specimen in an ozone atmosphere using transmission electron microscopy and energy loss spectroscopy techniques.
