Role of elastic anisotropy in evolution of microstructure and texture in orthorhombic YBa₂ Cu₃ O₇-δ thin film deposits

We have investigated the microstructure of YBa₂ Cu₃ O₇-δ films deposited on SrTiO₃ (100) by pulsed laser deposition and then postdeposition annealed in the temperature range between 200 and 400 °C. By postdeposition annealing, in the matrix oriented with the c -axis normal to the substrate surface, domains oriented with the c -axis parallel to the surface are nucleated and grown in the crystalline solid state, revealing the rectangular shape or the network structure. Strain energy minimization calculated based on the elastic anisotropy of the orthorhombic YBa₂ Cu₃ O₇-δ favors the development of the domains and their anisotropic growth shape.