Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for chemically vapor depositing a thin film of an oxide based superconductor on a substrate, which is preferably a substrate comprising superconducting material. Gaseous forms of the respective reactants are first formed and then reacted together in a reaction zone adjacent a spinning substrate. In a preferred embodiment, the reactants are exposed to UV light during the reaction to catalyze the reaction.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for forming a thin film of an oxide based superconductor on a substrate, which is preferably a substrate comprising superconducting material, which comprises forming an oxide based solvent, dissolving in the solvent a stoichiometric amount of compounds capable of forming a superconducting material to form a molten solution, maintaining the molten solution at a temperature of from about 400.degree. to about 1000.degree. C., immersing a substrate into the resulting molten solution, epitaxially growing a thin film of a superconductor crystal on the substrate, and bubbling a source of oxygen through the molten solution during the epitaxial growth of the thin film superconductor crystal.