Preparation of c-axis fibre textured YNi2B2C thin films by pulsed laser deposition: Film structure and superconducting properties

Thin films of YNi₂B₂C have been prepared in situ by pulsed laser deposition onto MgO(100) substrates. The films exhibit c-axis fibre texture but without in-plane texture. The superconducting transition temperature T_c increases with increasing deposition temperature up to 14.7 K at a deposition temperature of 735°C. We observed high values of the upper critical field H_c2 in thin films of about 7 T at 3 K and the expected temperature dependence of H_c2. An anisotropic behavior of H _c2 was measured for the different temperatures 2 K, 6 K and 10 K. The critical current density j_c shows different dependencies in applied magnetic fields H||c and H⊥c at 3 K