  We report on the systematic characterization of
Ba(Fe$_{0.92}$Co$_{0.08}$)$_2$As$_2$ epitaxial thin films on CaF$_2$ substrate
in view of their possible use for superconducting electronic applications. By
using different and complementary techniques we studied the morphological
characteristics of the surface, the structural properties, the magnetic
response, and the superconducting properties in terms of critical temperature,
critical current, and energy gaps. Particular attention was paid to the
homogeneity of the films and to the comparison of their superconducting
properties with those of single crystals of the same compound.
