Growth of in-plane textured LuNi2B2C thin films: correlation between structural, morphological and electrical properties

Thin films of the intermetallic superconducting compound LuNi2B2C have been prepared by pulsed laser ablation, and different deposition parameters (substrate temperature, target-substrate distance, laser beam energy density and thickness) have been the subject of extensive studies to optimize growth. The best samples show electrical properties similar to those of single crystals (Tc = 16.4 K, ?Tc = 0.3 K, RRR = 13), are strongly c-axis-oriented, and present a high density of in-plane-oriented surface structures. This in-plane texturing is found only in films some thousands of ångström thick, while if the thickness is reduced below 1000-1500 Å the samples are very flat, but there is no evidence of in-plane texturing.