Raman scattering studies of YBa₂Cu₃O _7-δ-coated conductors

We present results of Raman scattering studies of superconducting YBa ₂Cu₃O_7-δ (YBCO) films grown by using trifluoroacetic acid metal-organic deposition (TFA-MOD). The YBCO precursor solution was synthesized using metal-trifluoroacetates and was dip coated onto a LaAlO₃ (LAO) substrate. X-ray diffraction showed that all of the as-grown YBCO films were highly c-axis oriented and had in-plane-aligned textures. Raman scattering was used to characterize the optical phonon modes, the oxygen content, the structural properties and the second phases of the YBCO-coated conductors. The Raman spectra of YBCO-coated conductors of less transport quality often showed extra peaks at ∼300 cm^-1, ∼600 cm^-1 and ∼630 cm^-1 although they all showed varying peak intensity of the apical oxygen mode at ∼500 cm^-1, indicating different oxygen contents. The information taken from Raman scattering measurements will be useful for optimizing the process conditions.