Effects of oxygen pressure in preparation of insulating Sr2AlTaO6 thin films by MOCVD

Approximately 300-nm-thick insulating Sr2AlTaO6 (SAT) films were prepared on 10-μm-thick YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) films by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) in the range of oxygen partial pressure from 13 Pa (0.1 Torr) to 667 Pa (5 Torr) for total deposition pressure of 13 hPa (10 Torr). Stoichiometric SAT films with good crystallinity and square-like grains originating from the cubic structure of SAT were obtained for all the oxygen partial pressure conditions. However, extraordinary areas were partially observed on the sample prepared in the low oxygen partial pressure below 67 Pa (0.5 Torr), which are supposed to be caused by unstableness of YBCO surface. Under the highest oxygen partial pressure condition of 667 Pa, the lower tetragonal YBCO film exhibited a Tc of 80 K, indicating a possibility of in situ oxygenation during cooling. It was also confirmed that the SAT film fabricated under this condition has good dielectric properties such as the dielectric constant of approximately 24 and the conductance below 10−8 S.