<![CDATA[Thin film surface morphology strongly influences their superconducting properties. However, there remains a research gap in comparative studies on the surface morphology of YBa₂Cu₃O7-δ (Y-123) thin films with Sm nano-inclusions (Y-123+Sm) and the effects of post-annealing. Therefore, this study presents a comparative analysis of the surface morphology of pure Y-123 and Y-123+Sm superconducting thin films deposited by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD). The deposited films were post-annealed in flowing oxygen at 900 °C for 18 hours. Surface morphology observations using a Polarized Optical Microscope (POM) for both pure Y-123 and Y-123+Sm thin films before and after post-annealing reveal a reduction in pores and agglomerated grains, accompanied by a decrease in grain size. Further analysis using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) indicates that the pure Y-123 film exhibits a decrease in average surface height and surface roughness after post-annealing. Interestingly, compared with the film before post-annealing, the Y-123 thin film after post-annealing shows more hole-like features and volcano-like island growth structures, together with a reduction in island peak height from 377.2 nm to 170.5 nm. In contrast, Y-123+Sm thin films demonstrate a more desirable island growth morphology despite exhibiting a relatively rougher surface after post-annealing. Structural analysis of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) spectra indicates improved crystallinity for both Y-123 and Y-123+Sm thin films after post-annealing. These findings provide fundamental insights for the development of superconducting materials for future applications, such as quantum computing devices and power transmission technologies based on Y-123 superconductors]]>
