Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of the superconducting YBa2Cu307 = phase from the halide precursors YX:~, BaX2 and CuX, where X = C1 or I, was thermodynamically investigated. The oxygen source was O2, H20, or a mixture of 02 + HzO. The effect of different deposition parameters on the yield of the YBa2Cu:~OT_ ~ phase was studied and the results are summarized in calculated CVD stability diagrams. The choice of metal halide was found to affect the phase stability of YBa2Cu307 = to a large extent. The best conditions were obtained by using exclusively iodides as metal precursors and with O2 as the oxygen source. For a total pressure of 10 kPa, YBa2Cu~O~_~. can be deposited with 100% yield fi)r all values of the [O2]/([YI3] + [BaI2] + [CuI]) molar ratio between 10 ~ and 10 ~, if the temperature is below 900~ If chlorides are used as metal precursors, the presence of H20 is found to be necessary in order to deposit the superconducting phase.Since the discovery of the new oxide high-Tr superconductors, various techniques have been employed to prepare superconducting films. One of the most attractive methods is chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The CVD technique oilers several advantages; control of the oxygen activity during growth, deposition of extremely dense material, control of microstructure and texture, and in situ growth of superconducting films can be obtained. The most common precursors in CVD of these superconductors are different metal chelates. Such precursors have been used to deposit thin films of the superconducting phases in the Y-Ba-Cu-O system [see e.g., (1-5)], the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system [see e.g., (6-8)], and the T1-Ba-Ca-Cu-O system (9, 10). A disadvantage with using metal chelates is the risk for carbonate formation in the grain boundaries, which also has been observed (5). Carbonate formation can be prevented by using metal halides as source materials. Only two investigations exist where the superconducting phase has been deposited from the respective metal halides, viz., in the Y-Ba-Cu-O system (11) and in the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system (12). In both studies a mixture of chlorides and iodides was used, YCI:, + BaI2 * CuC1 for the YBa2Cu307 = phase and BiC13 q SrI., + CuI for the superconducting phase in the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system. Furthermore, both studies employed a mixture of O., and H20 as the oxygen source. Typical deposition temperatures were 870-910~ in the Y-Ba-Cu-O system and 800-850~ in the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system.A thermodynamic investigation of CVD of YBa2Cu3OT. x from the metal precursors YCI3, BaI=, and CuC1 was recently presented (13). The results were found to agree well with the experimental findings (11). The presence of both H20 and O2 was required to deposit the YBa2Cu:~OT_ ~. phase and rather high values of the oxygen source vapor concentration to metal source vapor concentration ratio were found to be necessary. In the present paper, CVD of the superconducting YBa.,Cu30.~_x phase from different halide precursors was thermodynamically investigated. Two different and extreme conditions wer...