Ultrathin films of YBaCuO grown on YSZ substrates with a new buffer layer Nd-Cu-O

YSZ is one of the most widely used substrates to grow oxide superconducting thin films. However, the large lattice mismatch and occurrence of intermediate layer often degrade the quality of grown films. We used a new buffer material, neodymium copper oxide (Nd/sub 2/CuO/sub 4/), to improve the quality of YBCO ultrathin films grown on YSZ. Good superconducting transitions have been obtained on these films with thickness 10-12 nanometers. Such a Nd/sub 2/CuO/sub 4/ layer has a stable crystal structure and behaves as an oxide semiconductor. At 77 K, its resistivity is /spl sim/40 times higher than that of PrBaCuO, which has been commonly used as buffer layer and barrier material. The lattice mismatch between Nd/sub 2/CuO/sub 4/ and YBCO is much smaller than that between YSZ and YBCO. It allows highly epitaxial growth of YBCO without forming big defects and the intermediate layer. Measurements by using XRD, rocking curve, and cross-sectional TEM indicated that the crystallinity of YBCO films grown on Nd/sub 2/CuO/sub 4/ buffer layer had been significantly improved. Besides, the smooth surface of Nd/sub 2/CuO/sub 4/ layer and buffered YBCO films are observed by SEM.