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Thin films of the heavy-fermion superconductor UPt 3 were deposited on various substrate materials in various orientations by means of a quasi-multilayer sputter process. Strongly (0001)-textured growth of the hexagonal compound was found for a uranium content in the range of 23% to 28% on sapphire (10 12), LaAlO 3 (111) and SrTiO 3 (111) with perfect in-plane order on the latter substrate material. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy revealed a Vollmer-Weber-like growth mode resulting in the development of large compressive strain in films on SrTiO 3 (111). As a result the electronic transport properties-in particular the temperature dependence of the resistivity-were strongly renormalized. Strong deviations from the typical heavy-fermion characteristics known from UPt 3 bulk samples were found in films on SrTiO 3 with residual resistance ratios ρ(300 K)/ρ 0 up to 930 and a significantly reduced superconducting transition temperature of 130 mK.

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