Superconducting thin films of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O deposited using a ‘free lasing’ infra-red Nd:YAG laser

We have used a free lasing Nd:YAG laser operating at 1.064 μm for depositing thin films of the new ceramic super-conductor Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O. The stringent baking cycles required to produce good-quality films exhibiting zero resistance at 80 K is discussed. Current densities exceeding 15 × 103A/cm2at 4.2 K have been achieved.