Open AccessDirect Evidence for Block-by-Block Growth in High-Temperature Superconductor Ultrathin Films
Author(s) -
M. Varela,
Werner Grogger,
D. Arias,
Z. Sefrioui,
C. León,
C. Ballesteros,
Kannan M. Krishnan,
J. Santamarı́a
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
physical review letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.688
H-Index - 673
eISSN - 1079-7114
pISSN - 0031-9007
DOI - 10.1103/physrevlett.86.5156
Subject(s) - cuprate , superconductivity , superlattice , materials science , condensed matter physics , block (permutation group theory) , stoichiometry , epitaxy , high temperature superconductivity , unit (ring theory) , charge ordering , chemical physics , charge (physics) , nanotechnology , chemistry , optoelectronics , physics , layer (electronics) , combinatorics , mathematics , mathematics education , quantum mechanics
Charge neutrality and stoichiometry impose severe restrictions on the mechanisms of epitaxial growth of complex oxides. The fundamental question arises of what is the minimum growth unit when sample thickness is reduced beyond the size of the unit cell. We have investigated the growth mechanism of YBa2Cu3O7 cuprate superconductor, using a consistent approach based on the growth of noninteger numbers of YBa2Cu3O7 layers in YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7)/PrBa(2)Cu3O7 superlattices. Ex situ chemical and structural analysis evidence a 2D block-by-block mechanism in which the minimum growth units are complete unit cell blocks, growing coherently over large lateral distances.
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