Homo-epitaxial growth of YBCO bulk by using YBCO/MgO thin-film seed

Using YBCO/MgO thin films as seeds, the homo-epitaxial growth of YBCO bulk by a cold-seeding process was reported. The grown bulk was revealed to possess an in-plane alignment, which is the same as the seed film. A small percentage of a-axis oriented grains, which may strengthen the stability of the seed film, were detected by Raman spectrum. The influence of processing on the superheating behavior of the seed film was discussed. The in-plane alignment of the YBCO thin film was determined by XRD pole figure. It was found that the alignment of seed film played a key role in the growth of YBCO bulk.