Abstract: The present invention is useful in growing complex films with high quality (low lattice strain, large grain size, high degree of perfection) at high rates and large area, and high efficiency use of material. A solid-state film is grown from a liquid, where atoms are supplied continuously by vapor deposition onto the liquid surface. The desired film material grows from or is precipitated from the liquid flux, which is in thermodynamic equilibrium with the desired film. The desired film growth starts at a substrate interface. If this is a biaxial textured surface suitable in chemical reactivity and lattice constant, the growth will be epitaxial with the substrate. The atomic mixture that forms the deposited film is supplied by the arrival of the atoms from a vapor onto the surface of the liquid flux. An important additional factor in the case of an oxide such as the HTSC YBCO is that activated oxygen needs to be present, along with molecular oxygen.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive memory element utilizing an enhanced proximity effect of ferromagnetic layers (ML) in a tri-layer configuration. A oscillatory decay characteristic of the pair wavefunction is expanded by using materials for the ML with a low Curie temperature and a small exchange field. As a result, the sum magnetic field of the alternetingly parallel and anti-parallel magnetized ML changes the critical temperature of the superconductor below and above the operational device temperature such that a passing read pulse remains unaltered at one of the two logical conditions stored within the device.

Abstract: An atomic absorption apparatus using a laser for producing a light beam having a characteristic frequency f, typically ranging from several MHz to several GHz, and a characteristic polarization for measuring the absorption of that light beam by atoms of interest. The apparatus has a modulator to generate a modulating signal to modulate the characteristic frequency f and produce a phase-modulated light beam. The apparatus includes a domain where the specific atoms are located. This domain is positioned in the path of the phase-modulated light beam such that the phase-modulated light beam encounters the specific atoms when passing through the domain and some of the specific atoms absorb a portion of the phase-modulated light beam. Typically, the domains containing the atoms of interest include process chambers for vacuum coating, ion milling, sputtering, mass spectroscopy vapor coating or deposition, and the like.

Abstract: A method of forming a superconducting YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7-x thin film with selected crystal orientation is described which comprises the steps of sputtering simultaneously Y, Ba and Cu onto the surface of a substrate, introducing oxygen at said surface during deposition, controlling the stoichiometry of the elements Y, Ba or both richer or poorer than the 1:2:3 stoichiometry within a few atom percent and followed by annealing to selectively grow an a-axis or a c-axis oriented film of YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7-x.