High quality SmBa2Cu3O7-δ thin films on SrTiO3 (100) substrates deposited by pulsed electron beam deposition

We for the first time report a successful fabrication of a high-J_C SmBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ(SmBCO) thin film (∼240 nm thickness) on SrTiO₃ (100) substrate by the pulsed electron beam deposition (PED) process. For this study, we systematically investigated the effect of processing parameters, including substrate temperature (Ts), ambient oxygen pressure (PO₂), and target-to-substrate distance, on superconducting properties, including critical temperature (T_C) and critical current density (J_C), of PED-processed SmBCO films. The highest J_C value of 1.37 MA/cm² at 77 K in self field was obtained from an optimally processed sample using Ts of 900°C (corresponding to real substrate temperature of 810°C), PO₂ of 15 mTorr, and target-to-substrate distance of 9 cm, evidencing that this process is a potential alternative to the PLD process.