Free-standing microstructures of YBa₂Cu₃O _7-δ: A high-temperature superconducting air bridge

We describe the fabrication of a free-standing YBa₂Cu ₃C_7-δ air bridge for useful applications of microstructures and microcircuits integration. We have used a sacrificial dielectric layer, which was subsequently etched, to produce the air gap between top and bottom layers. We have used conventional photolithographic processing, ion-beam dry etching, and selective wet etching with HF to create the novel microstructures. Step coverage of epitaxial bridge layers have been achieved without significant degradation of the superconducting properties of YBa ₂Cu₃O_7-δ layers.