OXYGEN POST-TREATMENT OF HTSC LAYERS AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ELECTRIC CONTACT

摘要

The mechanical, thermal and electric characteristics of an electric contact consisting of thin layers in the following layer sequence: epitaxial HTSC - degraded intermediate layer consisting of said HTSC material - ex situ metal, are improved if a wafer, which is coated in this manner, is subjected to thermal post-treatment in an atmosphere of pure oxygen O>2<, or in a mixture containing a maximum of equal parts of oxygen and inert gas. It is important to use atomic oxygen, O, for the oxygenation. An excess should be present on the exposed thin ex situ metal layer and be able to diffuse through said layer, in such a way that the oxygen discharge from the HTSC region is compensated or overcompensated by a constant, renewed oxygen deposition as a result of the thermal treatment. In another location a plasma is burnt, forming a source for the atomic oxygen. The plasma continues to burn during the final cooling of the wafer so that atomic oxygen is constantly available for deposition, even during this phase.