Fabrication and microwave properties of Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O thin films

Studies are reported of the interaction of Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O thin films with microwaves. The films were prepared on cubic zirconia and magnesium oxide substrates using a modified spray deposition technique. The tested films were about 1-3 μm thick and exhibited good superconducting properties. Several test structures have been designed by spraying a mixture of nitrate precursors on heated substrates through very thin stencil marks. The supercurrent dependence on millimeter wavelength microwave illumination was measured, and microwave detection and mixing experiments were performed. The films of both materials exhibited properties characteristic of granular superconductors, with Josephson-type coupling at the intergrain connections. The results also indicate that these materials can be successfully used as very sensitive millimeter radiation detectors operational at liquid-nitrogen temperatures