A new YBCO thin film patterning technique for use in multilayer structures

A new patterning technique for YBa2Cu3O7-delta (YBCO) thin films has been developed. After deposition of the superconductor a thin (10-20 nm), patterned chromium layer is deposited. During a subsequent anneal step the chromium layer reacts locally with the YBCO to form an insulating Ba-Cr-O compound. By careful optimisation of the parameters during annealing, it is possible to obtain smooth and intrinsically planarised structures. This makes this technique very attractive for multilayer patterning.