Growth technology and characteristics of thin strontium iridate films and iridate–cuprate superconductor heterostructures

Abstract

A technology for epitaxial growth of thin films of strontium iridate (Sr₂IrO₄) and related heterostructures with cuprate superconductor (Sr₂IrO₄/YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 − δ}) has been proposed and developed. It is established that the two-layer structure grows epitaxially and the cuprate superconductor layer has the same critical temperature as that (~91 K) of an autonomous film. Crystallographic parameters of the obtained iridate films are close to tabulated values and the temperature dependence of their electric resistivity is consistent with published data.