Multilayer composites and manufacture of same

1. A process of depositing multilayer thin films comprising:

rotating a single target having at least two segments with differing compositions under a processing beam to generate processed material from said single target for deposition of said processed material upon a substrate, said processing beam contacting said at least two segments with differing compositions in a controlled defined manner; and,

contacting said processed material from said single target with said substrate under conditions sufficient to deposit said processed material upon said substrate, where processed material from said at least two segments with differing compositions is deposited in a predetermined defined manner as a multilayer thin film.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein differing compositions are at least two different superconducting precursor compositions.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein said process further includes annealing said deposited processed materials at temperatures and for time sufficient to form a final superconducting article.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said target is disk-shaped.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein said at least two different compositions are a first material of superconducting YBCO and a second material selected from the group consisting of SmBCO, EuBCO and GdBCO.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein said processing beam is a pulsed laser beam.

7. The process of claim 5 wherein said processing beam is a pulsed electron beam.

8. The process of claim 5 wherein said processing beam is a plasma.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein said differing compositions are at least two different compositions to produce a multilayer film structure selected from the group consisting of semiconductors, ferroelectrics, magnetic coatings, magnetoresistance materials and insulators.

10. The process of claim 1 wherein said single target includes three segments with differing compositions, said differing compositions are three different compositions to produce a multilayer film structure selected from the group consisting of semiconductors, ferroelectrics and thermoelectrics.

11. The process of claim 1 wherein said controlled defined manner is repetitive and said predetermined defined manner is repetitive.

12. The process of claim 1 wherein said multilayer thin film includes individual layers of at least two differing thicknesses.

13. The process of claim 1 wherein said multilayer thin film includes alternating layers defining a bi-layer and said bi-layers have a single repeating periodicity.

14. The process of claim 1 wherein said multilayer thin film includes alternating layers defining a bi-layer and said bi-layers have continuously varying periodicity.

15. The process of claim 1 wherein said multilayer thin film includes alternating layers defining a bi-layer and said bi-layers have at least two different periodicities.

16. The process of claim 15 wherein said at least two different periodicities are repeating.

17. The process of claim 1 wherein said multilayer thin film includes alternating layers of a first composition and a second composition, a pair of said alternating layers defining a bi-layer wherein said thin film includes at least 20 bi-layers per micron of thin film such that an individual bi-layer has a thickness of less than about 50 nanometers.

18. A process of depositing multilayer thin films comprising:

contacting a single target having at least two segments with differing compositions with a processing beam in a controlled defined manner thereby generating processed material from said single target for deposition of said processed material upon a substrate; and,

contacting said processed material from said single target with said substrate under conditions sufficient to deposit said processed material upon said substrate, where processed material from said at least two segments with differing compositions is deposited in a predetermined defined manner as a multilayer thin film.

19. The process of claim 18 wherein said substrate is in a fixed position during deposition.

20. The process of claim 18 wherein said processing beam is a pulsed laser beam.

21. The process of claim 20 wherein said pulsed laser beam is moved relative to said target during said contacting in a controlled defined manner.

22. The process of claim 20 wherein said target is moved relative to said pulsed laser beam during said contacting in a controlled defined manner.

23. The process of claim 18 wherein said multilayer thin film includes alternating layers of a first composition and a second composition, a pair of said alternating layers defining a bi-layer wherein said thin film includes at least 20 bi-layers per micron of thin film such that an individual bi-layer has a thickness of less than about 50 nanometers.

24. A disk-shaped target for deposition of multilayer thin films by a pulsed deposition process, said disk-shaped target comprising at least two segments with differing compositions wherein at least one segment is a segment of a superconducting material.

25. The disk-shaped target of claim 24 wherein said target includes a first segment of YBCO and a second segment of a material selected from the group consisting of SmBCO, EuBCO and GdBCO.

26. The disk-shaped target of claim 24 wherein said target includes a first segment of YBCO and a second segment of SmBCO.

27. The disk-shaped target of claim 24 wherein said target includes a first segment of YBCO and a second segment of EuBCO.

28. The disk-shaped target of claim 24 wherein said target includes a first segment of YBCO and a second segment of GdBCO.

29. The disk-shaped target of claim 24 wherein said target includes a first segment of DyBCO and a second segment of EuBCO.

30. The disk-shaped target of claim 24 wherein said target includes a first segment of GdBCO and a second segment of EuBCO.