LASER-DEPOSITED PRGAO3 FILMS ON SRTIO3 SUBSTRATES AND IN YBA2CU3O7/PRGAO3/YBA2CU3O7 TRILAYERS

PrGaO3 films were successfully grown by laser deposition at temperatures between 730 and 785-degrees-C. The minimum full width at half maximum value of the (004) x-ray diffraction peak was 0.14-degrees, for films deposited on SrTiO3 substrates at 760-degrees-C. The optimum temperature for deposition of PrGaO3 in YBa2Cu3O7/PrGaO3/YBa2Cu3O7 trilayers was found to be 760-degrees-C. Three distinct layers were observed , and the PrGaO3 exhibited two orientations with respect to the c-axis oriented bottom layer; either the [001] or the [110] direction parallel to the YBa2Cu3O7 c axis. Two orthogonal in-plane orientations were observed for each of these cases. The highest resistivity (at 100 K) of the PrGaO3 layer was 10(5) OMEGA cm. Considerable interaction occurred between the PrGaO3 and the YBa2Cu3O7 bottom layer at 785-degrees-C, where the two bottom layers deteriorated.