Structural properties of single-domain (103) YBCO films grown on buffered (110) MgO

(103) YBCO films have been grown onto exact and vicinal (110) STO substrates, and on vicinal (110) MgO substrates with a STO buffer layer. The samples are carefully characterised by reciprocal space mapping (RSM) with X-ray diffraction, in order to investigate the features of the typical double domain of (103) YBCO structure. It is demonstrated that the STO buffer grown on vicinal MgO is (110) oriented, and that it preserves the vicinal cut of the substrate. YBCO films deposited on such STO buffer layers present a single (103) domain. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.