We have investigated the effects of Yb addition to melts used for the growth of InGaAs/InP heterostructures by liquid phase epitaxy. Our results indicate that impurities in the Yb play an important role in determining the changes in electrical properties observed in the epilayers after Yb treatment of the melt. We have examined samples using double-crystal x-ray diffractometry, photoluminescence, Hall/van der Pauw measurements, and secondary-ion mass spectroscopy. After Yb treatment, the residual carrier concentrations of the epilayers were reduced by more than one order of magnitude and the samples luminesced more strongly; while the lattice matching and crystal quality of the epilayers were not measurably affected by the Yb. There was a smaller-thanexpected ncrease in the 77K mobility and a marked increase in the compensation ratio of the epilayers grown after the addition of Yb to the melt. We believe the Yb is both acting as a scavenging agent in the melt, combining with impurities that otherwise would have been incorporated in the epilayers, and introducing deep level impurities of its own, which are incorporated into the grown layers.

The surface morphology and near-surface chemical composition of high temperature superconducting Y–Ba–Cu–O thin films have been studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) depth profiling. These films were fabricated on SrTiO3 substrates by RF diode sputter deposition and subsequent furnace annealing in oxygen. The chemical composition at and near the surface of thin films was found to differ from the bulk composition. At about 500 Å below the surface the Y, Ba, and Cu stoichiometry, as determined by AES, gradually approach that of the film interior. These results suggest that, for furnace annealed films, there may exist a minimum deposited Y–Ba–Cu–O film thickness in which superconductivity is possible. It was also found that the calculated copper concentration determined by AES during depth profiling is significantly lower than its actual value.

Copper rich Y-Ba-Cu-O samples were prepared by reacting and sintering powders. The resultant material is composed of YBa2Cu3Oy and CuO. Proper processing results in a 85% dense, well interconnected material with a superconducting transition temperature of 92K. Zero resistance is observed even though a quarter of the volume is the CuO phase. This is because the CuO phase is in the form of isolated grains and not at the grain boundaries of the superconducting matrix.