Abstract
An SEM and STM study was made of terrace formation in partial melt-regrown EuBa2Cu3O7−δ. Terraces form above 920°C, well below the bulk melting temperature (1075±10°C). The terrace formation is accompanied by significant grain growth, possibly triggered by a “surface-melting” transition. Melting occurs in a layer a few monolayers thick, and the highly mobile layers reconstruct into terraced form due to a faceting transition. The terrace growth can be reproduced by a theoretical faceting model. The STM also reveals a finer-scale sinusoidal modulation of the surface, of unknown origin.
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We thank Dr. J. Krim for permitting us to use the STM and helpful discussions, and Tim Hussey for technical assistance. This work was supported by the NSF under Grant No. DMR-9203258, and one of us (C.T.) was supported by a Lavoisier grant.
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Maheswaran, B., Williams, M.G., Zhang, J.Z. et al. Terrace growth in partially melt-regrown EuBa2Cu3 δ high-T c superconductors. J Supercond 9, 135–141 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00728438
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00728438