Structural characterization and properties of superconducting thin films produced by pulsed laser deposition

This work deals with the production and characterization of superconducting Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O thin films realized by using the pulsed laser deposition technique. The effect of annealing parameters on the structure and quality of the as-deposited and annealed thin films of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O are reported and discussed, as well as of the sintered pellets used as targets. Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction have been utilized to characterize both the sintered pellets and the thin film.