Surfaces of Нigh-Tс Superconductors Studied by Means of the Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Abstract

Observations of the natural surface of BiSrCaCu₂Oₓ sintered ceramics applying the scanning tunneling microscope are reported. Measurements were performed in air at room temperature. It can be deduced from the surface images, on which the growth steps are visible with heights corresponding to the dimension of the unit cell along the c-axis or its multiples, that the bulk orthorhombic structure extends to the surface. The surface investigated is rather clean, inert and metallic in nature. It can be identified as the Bi-O layer.