Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
The formation of superconducting YBa2Cu3O7–x (Y123) by in situ pulsed laser deposition from a stoichiometric Y123 target typically requires an oxygen-ambient environment (P ˜ 100–300-mtorr O2) and appropriate substrate temperature during deposition. We have found that pulsed laser deposition from a Y123 target in vacuo onto a (001) LaAlO3 substrate favors the formation of Y2O3. We observed that the Y2O3 (001) films yield three-dimensional nanoscale morphologies that are markedly different from the planar growth surface of conventional superconducting c-axis Y123 films and Y2O3 films formed from the pulsed laser ablation of a Y2O3 target.