Progress in fabrication methods of REBCO high temperature superconducting films

The applications of superconducting electronics primarily stem from the inherent critical properties, microwave characteristics, and Josephson effects of superconductors. Superconducting electronics hold revolutionary potential across various fields, including ultrahigh-speed computing, ultrahigh-sensitivity detection, and quantum information technology. Furthermore, superconducting electronics provide a crucial avenue for overcoming the limitations of traditional semiconductor electronics. Modern electronic devices, in particular, often rely on film-based integrated electronic chips. With the rapid advancement in superconducting film technology and cryogenic refrigeration, high-temperature superconducting films are increasingly used to fabricate various superconducting electronic devices. Owing to their sensitivity to weak electromagnetic signals, superconducting films have been used in the design and development of superconducting qubits, superconducting microwave devices, superconducting quantum interference devices, and superconducting single-photon detectors. Currently, the application of high-temperature superconducting materials in low-power electronics is primarily focused on fields such as communications and electronics. Compared with traditional electronic devices, superconducting electronic devices consume less power, exhibit higher sensitivity, and offer various other advantages such as interference resistance and miniaturization.REBa2Cu3O7–δ (REBCO, where RE = rare-earth elements) high-temperature superconducting films have garnered considerable attention owing to their high critical parameters, excellent microwave properties, and interference resistance. However, superconductors inherently have weak bonding properties. Thus, it is essential to develop high-quality biaxially textured REBCO films that meet the required specifications for modern electronic devices. REBCO films are commonly used in the fabrication of microwave electronic devices (e.g., superconducting filters and microwave resonators), mixers, and oscillators. Superconducting microwave electronic devices exhibit superior microwave performance compared with conventional metallic electronic devices.This work reviews the mainstream fabrication methods for REBCO films (e.g., pulsed laser deposition, magnetron sputtering, evaporation, metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, and metal-organic deposition) and summarizes the principles, characteristics, research progress, and performance optimization strategies for fabrication methods. Various epitaxial thin-film techniques play a crucial role in high-temperature superconductivity research owing to their precision and flexibility in structural control. Using epitaxial growth techniques, complex multimaterial structures, including single-crystal films, heterostructures, and superlattices, can be precisely designed and fabricated at the atomic level. This advances the understanding of high-temperature superconducting mechanisms and provides vast prospects for developing superconducting materials with high critical temperatures. Finally, a preliminary outlook on the future development of the fabrication process of REBCO films is presented to promote the applications of superconducting electronics.