LASER WRITING AND REWRITING ON YBA2CU3O7 FILMS

High-resolution patterning (4-mu-m) has been achieved on epitaxial thin films of the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-delta using laser writing. A focused laser beam is applied to write semiconducting patterns on superconducting films in a vacuum or in a nitrogen atmosphere. The semiconducting patterns are shown to be formed by a reduction of the oxygen content due to local heating caused by the laser beam. The process does not cause any structural damage and does not change the surface morphology. When reapplying the same laser beam and rewriting the film in an oxygen atmosphere, it is possible to restore the superconductive properties. The application of this method for production of superconducting microelectronic circuits is discussed.