Fabrication of Micro-pipes of YBa2Cu3O7−δ Superconductor

Synthesis of micro-pipes of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ superconductor has been carried out for the first time by using chemical method. The shape, size and length of these micro-pipes depends upon dimensions of growth matrix and structure of geometry, i.e., circular, square, rectangular and hexagonal, etc., which could be uniformly coated with superconductor. The onset temperature of diamagnetism of the material is found to be 93 K, which is not shifted to lower values by the application of DC magnetic field; this is most likely due to large surface area provided by micro-pipes to the shielding currents. These micro-pipes behave as pinning centers, hence they can be used for the fabrication of devices that are capable of working in high magnetic fields.      

Electromagnetic properties of electrophoretic YBa2Cu3O7−δ films

In order to apply highT _c superconductivity to general microwave cavities and to shielding devices for quasistationary magnetic fields, we have developed an electrophoretic coating technique. This work reports about the continuation of our experiments. More than 60 samples of electrophoretic layers deposited on silver substrates were fabricated by systematically varying the processing parameters. The r.f. surface resistance measured at 21.5 GHz and 77 K at low excitation fields is found to be a sensitive measure of the quality of the samples and falls rapidly with increasing average grain size. Textured electrophoretic layers of large grain size show the smallest sensitivity ofR _s against the r.f. surface magnetic fieldH _s. The magnetic sensitivitydR _s /dH _s is found to be in direct proportion toR _s (77 K). After optimizing the sintering procedure the electrodes of the prototype cavity for a compact hydrogen maser were coated. The cavity was successfully operated at 1.42 GHz, and a surface resistance of 1 mΩ was achieved at 77 K. This compares to 4 mΩ for copper at the same temperature.     

Crystallization Characteristics of YBa2Cu3O7?δ Film during TFA-MOD

The phase formation and film shrinkage during the crystallization process of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ (YBCO) film prepared by the trifluoroacetate organic deposition (TFA-MOD) were investigated through a series of quenching experiments. X-ray diffraction patterns show that the YBCO grains initially form following the formation of the Ba-O-F phase at the heating ramp between 720 °C and 770 °C in the case of a high heating rate of 20 °C/min. It is identified that the crystallization process is involved three stages, i.e., the first one characterized by the formation of the Ba-O-F phase, the second one by the YBCO grain nucleation together with the significant shrinkage of films, and the last one by continuous YBCO grain growth. Moreover, a heterogeneous Cl element is believed to arise from the flowing water vapor, and it may move into the intermediate pyrolyzed film. It is observed that the densification process existing in the secondary stage can be destroyed by the exterior Cl element, leading to a more porous structure in contrast to their surrounding.     

An Approach of the Sintering YBa2Cu3O7−δ System

The abnormal glow discharge applied to the sintering process is a recent technique used for processing both metallic and ceramic materials. In this paper, we use the abnormal glow discharge as an alternative method for the sintering step of the YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ superconductor material. The physical properties of the sintered samples by glow discharge were compared with the properties of sintered samples in resistive furnace, which is commonly used for production of high temperature superconductor ceramics. The structural analysis of the YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ samples was carried out by the X-ray diffraction technique, microstructural analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy and electrical resistivity by the four probes method (resistance measurements as a function of temperature). The experimental results permitted to establish the similar structure and morphology for all samples: produced by plasma and resistive furnace sintering. The superconducting behavior was corroborated for both sintering processes.     

rf Field Dependence of Surface Resistance for a–b Plane-Textured YBa2Cu3O7–δ Films Deposited on Copper Substrate

Low rf loss at high rf field levels should be realized in order to apply high-T_c films to accelerator cavities. It is well known that c-axis perpendicular to the surface is essential to reduce R_s and its field dependence However, the effect of a–b plane texturing on R_s is not so clear because lack of experiments, especially for films deposited on metallic substrates. We developed a deposition technique that enables a–b plane texturing as well as c-axis orientation of YBCO films on a copper substrate. We prepared four samples with c-axis normal to the surface: two of them were a–b plane well textured films and the other two were a–b plane weakly textured films. The a–b plane well-textured films in low rf field exhibited a R_s higher than that of weakly textured films below 80 K. The rf field dependence measurements showed that the increase of R_s with increasing rf field for the a–b plane well-textured films was slower as compared with that of the weakly textured films.     

Pair and Quasiparticle States of YBa2Cu3O7−x Films Deduced from the Surface Impedance and a Comparison with Nb3Sn

Surface impedance data at 19 and 87 GHz of high-quality epitaxial YBCO films on different substrates are compared with data for Nb₃Sn films on sapphire in terms of pair and quasiparticle (qp) transport. Surface resistance R _s and penetration depth λ of YBCO are strongly affected by temperature dependent qp scattering, which is depressed in films with enhanced lattice strain. All films showed a comparable residual resistance R _res(19 GHz)～90 μΩ constituting a qp reservoir which is likely to be caused by the electronic configuration and by impurities. Subtracting R _res from R _s (T) revealed activated behavior with a reduced energy gap Δ₀/k _B T _c～0.9 for a film on sapphire, but power-law behavior for the other films. The penetration depth did not reveal power-law dependences at T≤0.5 ·T _c, but was consistent with a reduced energy gap of 0.45 for a film on MgO. The increase of λ(T) at T≥0.5 · T _c was related to qp scattering, which also caused an extremal conductivity σ₁(T). A shoulder in λ(T) at T=(0.6–0.7) · T _c confirmed evidence for the existence of two superconducting bands. The magnetic-field induced recovery of λ(B) of various YBCO films hinted for an important role of magnetic scattering. The results are in contradiction to a d-wave symmetry of the order parameter, at least for the chain band.     

Microwave Surface Impedance of Nd-rich Nd 1+x Ba 2−x Cu 3 O 7−δ Thin Films

Surface impedance measurements on highly c-axis epitaxial Nd _1+x Ba _2–x Cu ₃ O ₇ (x=0, 0.09 and 0.12) films grown by d.c. magnetron sputtering on LaAlO ₃ substrates are presented. It is found that the zero temperature London penetration depth correlates well with the critical temperature of the films and with the corresponding number of carriers. The low temperature penetration depth follows a linear T law for optimally doped Nd123 sample and a T ² law in Nd-rich samples. In the case of the heavily underdoped samples (T _c < 60K) the T ² law extends to temperatures higher than T _c/2. The possible role of the Nd/Ba ions substitution on the penetration depth and surface resistance is discussed.     

Enhancement of Flux Pinning in YBa2Cu3O7−δ + Ag Nanocomposites

YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ /Ag thin film is prepared through pulsed laser deposition. The presence of Ag brings about significant inter- and intragranular modification in the microstructure of the composites. The resistive broadening in the tail part is suggested to be associated with the link between the grains and to be extremely sensitive to magnetic fields. It is assumed that the zero resistance state at the T _c0 region of the above high temperature superconductor is governed by the excitations in the weak link network. Invoking Beans critical state model, enhancement in critical current density J _c is observed.     

Preparation of Double Perovskite Ca2NiWO6 as a Buffer Layer for YBa2Cu3O7−δ Coated Conductors

Ca₂NiWO₆ films were deposited on the Y-stabilized ZrO₂ (100) (YSZ) single crystalline substrates by pulsed laser deposition process. X-ray diffraction reveals that the Ca₂NiWO₆ film is coherently strained due to the small lattice mismatch between Ca₂NiWO₆ and YSZ substrate. With this c-axis orientated Ca₂NiWO₆ film as buffer layer, YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ film has been successfully prepared by pulsed laser deposition. The subsequently deposited YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ film has a preferred c-axis orientation and a smooth surface. The temperature dependence of resistance indicates a superconducting critical temperature higher than 82 K. Our results demonstrate that the double perovskite Ca₂NiWO₆ is a promising buffer layer candidate for coated conductors.     

Coexistence of Superconductivity and Ferromagnetic Phases in YBa2Cu3O7−δ Nanoparticles

High-temperature superconductor YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ (YBCO) nanopowders were synthesized by the citrate-gel route, which is a modification of the sol-gel method. The fine powders were calcinated at 860 and 900 °C. They were of small size, in the range of 30–35 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns verified production of the orthorhombic superconducting phase in all samples. Measuring the magnetic properties of these nanoparticles at room temperature, via a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), indicated ferromagnetism behavior in the YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ nanoparticles. As the size of the nanoparticles decreased, the magnetic saturation of all samples increased. The development of the ferromagnetism effect was attributed to the presence of surface oxygen vacancies that lead to electron redistribution on the different ions at the surface. Thus, in an innovative work, the produced samples were annealed at 700 °C for 5 h under 0.8–0.9 bar of air atmosphere. The results showed that a small increase in the nanoparticle size provided a dramatic increase of magnetic saturation in all samples. Thus, we can say that the annealing process at vacuum improves the ferromagnetic properties of YBCO nanoparticles.     

Superconducting YBa2Cu3O7?δ Thin Film Detectors for Picosecond THz Pulses

Ultra-fast THz detectors from superconducting YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ (YBCO) thin films were developed to monitor picosecond THz pulses. YBCO thin films were optimized by the introduction of CeO₂ and PrBaCuO buffer layers. The transition temperature of 10 nm thick films reaches 79 K. A 15 nm thick YBCO microbridge (transition temperature—83 K, critical current density at 77 K—2.4 MA/cm²) embedded in a planar log-spiral antenna was used to detect pulsed THz radiation of the ANKA storage ring. First time resolved measurements of the multi-bunch filling pattern are presented.     

Analysis of deformed YBa2Cu3O7−δ

In this study, polycrystalline YBa₂Cu₃O_7– (123) was deformed under controlled conditions with a confining pressure of 1.0GPa, temperatures of 25, 500 and 800° C, and a strain rate of 10^–4 sec^–1 in order to ascertain the micromechanisms of deformation that give rise to the macroscopic plastic behaviour. The deformed material was analysed using optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and a SQUID magnetometer to study the effects of deformation on the microstructure of YBa₂Cu₃O_7– and how changes in the microstructure affected the superconducting properties. The results of these preliminary experiments suggest that the 123 material will be very difficult to deform plastically as slip occurs only on the (001) plane. The lack of multiple slip systems implies that this material will show some brittle behaviour up to a very high homologous temperature. Even when plastic behaviour can be sustained for high strains it may require high annealing temperatures to remove lattice imperfections which impede the superconducting currents. Densification by high pressure deformation may make reoxygenation difficult due to the reduced diffusion rates between the grains. These factors combined suggest that traditional fabrication techniques are not applicable to the 123 material. More work needs to be carried out to determine how annealing affects the microstructures of deformed materials and how these changes in microstructure affect the superconducting properties of these materials.     

Sintering of YBa2Cu3O7−x compacts

Heating of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x compacts above about 930°C is shown to induce liquid formation. Presence of the liquid phase results in excellent densification, but limited superconducting properties. Sintering below 930°C occurs primarily by solid-state diffusion. Although the density of these samples is low, the superconducting properties are similar to those of the dense materials produced via liquid-phase sintering. The highest current densities (≈ 500 A/cm²) have been obtained in these solid-state sintered samples.     

Anisotropic Characteristics of In-Plane Aligned a-Axis YBa2Cu3O7−δ Thin Films

Highly in-plane aligned a-axis oriented YBa₂Cu₃O_7– (YBCO) thin films with unprecedented transition temperature (T _c 91.3 K) have been deposited on (100) LaSrGaO₄ substrates using a continuously grown PrBa₂Cu₃O_7– (PBCO) template layer by pulsed laser. The anisotropies between b- and c-axis were investigated by transport measurements and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Although, the onset T _c 's along b- and c-axis appeared approximately the same, a significant filing was observed in the resistive transition along c-axis. The temperature-dependent of the tailing effect, however, cannot be explained by thermally activated phase-slippage (TAPS) commonly encountered in grain-boundary weak links.     

Nonlinear Power Handling of YBa2Cu3O7−x Films and Microwave Devices

Physical mechanisms which limit the power handling of YBa₂Cu₃O_7?x films and devices are discussed in terms of a quantitative classification scheme. The possible limitations are devided into magnetic or thermal, and global or local in nature. Analytical estimations are compared with measurements of YBa₂Cu₃O_7?x films (Ø = 1″–2″) using a niobium-shielded sapphire resonator at 19 GHz, and disk resonators at 2 GHz. Magnetic effects are found to play an essential role in nonoptimized films in terms of weak-links, and in high-quality films if the lower critical field Bcl is reached. The majority of films and disk resonators appear to suffer from microwave heating. Global heating appears predominantly at CW operation. Local heating results mainly from defects in films of medium quality. Defect-induced quenches are observed at moderate field levels, sometimes resulting in an irreversible degradation of the power handling.     

Shadowed Off-Axis Pulsed Laser Deposition of YBa2Cu3O7−x Thin Films

Using a shadowed pulsed laser deposition allows us to reduce the number of droplets on the YBa₂Cu₃O_7?x film surface obtained by pulsed laser deposition method. In this study, we present a new modification of pulsed laser deposition method: a shadowed off-axis pulsed laser deposition. The substrate surface lies in the plain defined by the laser beam. A rectangular shadow mask located between target and substrate reduce the quantity of large particles deposited from the diffusion flow. Such geometry allows us to carry out the laser plume scanning on the target surface for simultaneous one-step double-sided deposition films with a droplet-free surface. Both films had good superconducting properties.     

Effect of Micro-Phase Separation on Magnetic Response in Pr-Doping YBa2Cu3O7−δ Single Crystals

Pr-doping Y_0.928Pr_0.072Ba₂Cu₃O_7−δ superconducting single crystal was studied systemically by the magnetic response measurement below T _c . DC magnetization shows a possible existence of micro-phase separation caused by the non-uniform distribution of Pr ions in microstructure during the growth procedure. The magnetic field dependence of critical current density J _c and pinning force density F _p had been obtained from the magnetization hysteresis loop. Flux pinning mechanisms in different magnetic fields had been discussed using the scaling function as well as the ratio of the pinning force field at H _on and H _peak. We find that the peak effect is influenced by the micro-phase separation which is caused by the non-uniform distribution of Pr ions in microstructure during the growth procedure. The interface between the different T _c superconductivity areas can be the effective pinning center which is useful to the appearance of peak effect. The value of the ratio of the maximum pinning force field to the irreversibility field is discussed. The conclusion is consistent with the model constructed by Wen et al.; we finally draw out the thermomagnetic phase diagram for our samples.      

YBa2Cu3O7−x Thin Films by Citrate-Based Non-fluorine Precursor

A new fluorine-free chemical solution deposition route has been developed for YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x (YBCO) thin films. The precursor was formed by dissolving metal nitrates and citric acid in ethylene glycol. Polyethyleneimine was used to modify the solution. The preparation of YBCO thin films consisted of repeated dip coating, drying, heat-treating in air and annealing in flowing argon with a small addition of oxygen and with final treatment in pure oxygen. The films were characterized by XRD and SEM and show dominating and well-textured YBCO phase. The AC susceptibility and magnetization measurements reveal a critical temperature about 90 K and a high critical current density, comparable with that of pulse laser deposited films. The simplicity and high performance of the method may be attractive for large-scale superconducting applications.     

Autocorrelation study of quasiparticle relaxation in a YBa2Cu3O7-δ film

Using an autocorrelation method we studied the voltage photoresponse of a current-carrying superconducting YBa₂Cu₃O_7– film excited by femtosecond near infrared radiation pulses. Near the transition temperature we found a picosecond response time consistent with the energy relaxation of nonequilibrium quasiparticles. We also observed a subpicosecond component of the voltage response which we attributed to the current redistribution between excited quasiparticles and the superconducting condensate.