A Digital Method of Gas Laser Etching for Oxide Superconductors

Using a gas-assisted laser etching system, a digital etching method was demonstrated for Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconducting thin films. The etched surface was examined using an atomic force microscope. When NF3 was used as the reactive gas, there was a laser fluence region in which the etching rate was nearly constant. This result suggests the existence of a self-stopping mechanism in the etching process, indicating the possible development of this method into a precise layer-by-layer etching technology for high-T c superconducting materials.