Abstract: An oxide high temperature superconductor and method of making which includes a first buffer layer composed of CeO3 formed on a sapphire R (1, ?1, 0, 2) face substrate for reducing lattice mismatch between the sapphire R (1, ?1, 0, 2) face substrate and the oxide high temperature superconductor thin film, and a second buffer layer composed of such an oxide high temperature superconductor but in which Ba is substituted with Sr formed on the first buffer layer. The first buffer layer reduces the lattice mismatch between the sapphire R (1, ?1, 0, 2) face substrate and the oxide high temperature superconductor thin, the second buffer layer prevents an interfacial reaction with Ba, thereby permitting the epitaxial growth of an oxide high temperature superconductor thin film that excels in both crystallographic integrity and crystallographic orientation.

Abstract: A superconducting thin film is disclosed having columnar pinning centers utilizing nano dots, and comprising nano dots (3) which are formed insularly on a substrate (2) and three-dimensionally in shape and composed of a material other than a superconducting material and also other than a material of which the substrate is formed, columnar defects (4) composed of the superconducting material and grown on the nano dots (3), respectively, a lattice defect (6) formed on a said columnar defect (4), and a thin film of the superconducting material (5) formed in those areas on the substrate which are other than those where said columnar defects are formed.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus which permits making a composite oxide thin film excellent in crystallinity easily and at a low temperature, with the capability of controlling the basic unit cell structure as desired, and without the need for a post annealing, as well as a composite oxide thin film thereby, especially a Cu group high temperature superconducting thin film, are disclosed. A thin Cu group high temperature superconducting film, which is constituted of a charge supply block (1) and a superconducting block (2), is formed on a substrate by alternately sputtering from a sputtering target having a composition of the charge supply block (1) and a sputtering target having a composition of the superconducting block (2) and repeating such an alternate sputtering operation a number of times needed for the film to reach a desired thickness.