Preparation of high-Tc oxide films via flaming solvent spray

Thick films of the high-temperature superconductors YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x and Bi_1.7Pb_0.3Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O₁₀ have been prepared by spraying an ignited ethanol, ethylene glycol, or liquid ammonia solution of stoichiometric amounts of the metal nitrates (or acetates) onto polycrystalline MgO. The flaming spray is mechanically forced to traverse a region directly in front of the substrates. This new method is simple and inexpensive, and eliminates the problem of substrate cooling encountered in normal spray pyrolysis methods. Since decomposition of the solvent and metal salts occurs before deposition, the resulting films are relatively free of craters and nonuniformities common with spray methods. The method can be adapted to coat large areas and irregular or nonplanar shapes (i.e., cylinders), which could have useful magnetic shielding properties. The films were characterized by XRD and show single-phase material with preferredc-axis orientation. For YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x , resistance vs. temperature measurements show aT _c onset at 90 K and aT _c 0 at 76 K. Silver nitrate has been added to some of the solutions in an attempt to improve contact among individual grains.     

Electrostatic bonding of high-Tcsuperconducting films to any substrate

Complete integration of high-T _c thin-film superconducting technology with other electronic technologies requires hybrid structures with both technologies on the same substrate. This is difficult to do with direct growth of the superconductor on certain substrates (GaAs, InP) because of the high temperatures required for formation of the superconductor. A method is proposed to circumvent this problem by using electrostatic forces and appropriate thin-film materials to bond superconducting films to any substrate at 300°C. The same principle can be applied to the bonding of other devices on other substrates.     

Flux pinning in high-Tc superconductive films

Magnetization measurements have been performed onc-axis oriented Y- and Gd-based superconductive films in a wide range of the temperaturesT (4.2–85 K) and magnetic fieldsH (0–8 T) withH c-axis. The influence of flux creep on both the temperature dependence of critical current densityJ _cm and the scaling behavior of flux pinning forceF _p has been discussed in detail. The experimental results show that Y and Gd films have different pinning mechanism. Flux pinning-force peaks in high fields are observed in Gd film at high temperatures and can be considered as evidence for collective pinning.     

Percolative behavior of transport properties in granular high-Tc superconductors

A new model based on percolative computation directly performed for an array system of Josephson junctions is reported. The number of percolative paths is obtained and the total critical current of the model system is estimated from 2D and 3D arrays at selected values of external magnetic field. The evolution of the critical current distribution of the junctions at increasing magnetic field is studied in view of the relevance in percolative path calculations and compared with the experimental distribution obtained fromI– V characteristics. Percolative simulation results are shown to reproduce more satisfactory experimental critical current behavior in external magnetic fields, obtained in highly porous thick YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x films electrophoretically deposited than mere statistical averages.     

Buffer layers for high-Tc thin films on sapphire

Buffer layers of various oxides including CeO₂ and yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) have been deposited onR-plane sapphire. The orientation and crystallinity of the layers were optimized to promote epitaxial growth of YBa₂Cu₃O_7– (YBCO) thin films. An ion beam channeling minimum yield of 3% was obtained in the CeO₂ layer on sapphire, indicating excellent crystallinity of the buffer layer. Among the buffer materials used, CeO₂ was found to be the best one for YBCO thin films onR-plane sapphire. HighT _c andJ _c were obtained in YBCO thin films on sapphire with buffer layers. Surface resistances of the YBCO films were 4 m at 77 K and 25 GHz.     

Positron-annihilation lifetime in the high-Tc Oxides

The superconducting transition affects the positron-annihilation lifetime in the high-T_c oxides. This effect is due to the unusual properties of the oxides in the normal state and, in particular, to the small Fermi energy. The value of the shift also depends on the interlayer distance.     

Pair density and gaplessness in high-Tc cuprates

The results ofSR and heat capacity studies on high-T _c superconducting cuprates, particularly in the overdoped regime, are presented, and it is shown that the pair density falls away to zero on either side of optimum doping. This is modelled in terms of a finite pair lifetime and depression of the condensate density through intrinsic pairbreaking interactions. This behavior appears to underlie the generic dependence ofT _c upon doped hole concentration. The emerging picture of gapless or near gapless superconductivity in the high-T _c cuprates is confirmed from infrared studies both in our laboratory and elsewhere.SR is also used to prove the rather high density of pairs which proximity-condense on the CuO chains in 123, 247, and 124. This is most clearly exposed through studies on the model system Yb_1–x Ca _x Ba_1.6Sr_0.4Cu₃O_7– which allows pair breaking on the chains and planes to be independently manipulated throughx and.     

Non-melting annealing of silicon by CO2 laser

In this work we investigate CO₂ laser annealing at millisecond time scale for the fabrication of Ultra Shallow Junctions, able to fulfill the requirements imposed for sub-45 nm CMOS nodes. Silicon samples doped with Boron using BF₃ plasma implantation technique at low energy (0.4 and 0.6 keV) were used to ensure ultra shallow as implanted boron concentration profiles. Our aim is to achieve high electrical activation level of the dopant, while maintaining the Boron concentration profile as immobile as possible. Samples have been irradiated at a variety of annealing conditions regarding the duration of the irradiation and the power density; however, in every case the peak surface temperature was kept in the range of 1080-1320 °C. Sheet resistance measurements indicate significant enhancement in the activation levels, while chemical characterization by means of SIMS, shows very limited movement of the dopant concentration profile, especially for short pulse duration conditions.     

Molecular beam epitaxial growth of high-Tc Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O Films

Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) has been used to grow high-temperature superconducting Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O films with adequate control over growth of number of unit layers. Oxide sources of Sr and Ca used for electron beam evaporation have been found to be useful for epitaxial growth of films. Deposited films show superconducting properties comparable to films deposited by using pure metals with a complicatedin situ oxidation technique. Optimum deposition and annealing conditions have been obtained to growc-axis-oriented 2212 phase BSCCO film.In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) study of the films has revealed the growth of epitaxial films with atomically smooth surfaces.     

Specific heat of the high-Tc oxide superconductors

We review the specific heat measurements on La₂CuO₄, La_2–xM_xCuO₄ (M = Ca, Sr, and Ba), YBa₂Cu₃O₇, and the Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O and Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O systems. Tables of properties derived from the data are presented. Results on RBa₂Cu₃O₇ (R=rare earth elements other than Y) are summarized, as are results on YBa₂(Cu_3–xM_x)O₇ (M=Zn, Cr, Fe, or Ni). The difficulties of analyzing the specific heat data, and specifically the separation of the contributions associated with magnetic impurities, are discussed. It is tentatively concluded that the data nearT _c are consistent with BCS theory, although they show evidence of fluctuation effects. It is also concluded that the low-temperature zero-field data on a majority of the high-T _c oxide superconductors provide evidence of anintrinsic term that is proportional toT, a result that is inconsistent with a gap in the electronic density of states.     

A possible explanation for the isotope effect in high-Tc and Rb3C60 superconductors

The role of pair breaking effects on the isotope effect coefficient is investigated using the generalized Abrikosov and Gorkov theory of superconductors. It is found that the pair breaking effects enhance the isotope effect coefficient. This provides a plausible explanation for the enhancement of the isotope effect coefficient as a function of impurity concentration in yttrium-, europium-, and lanthanum-based high-T _c superconductors. It may also explain the very large value of the isotope effect coefficient in Rb₃C₆₀ superconductors provided some intrinsic disorder is assumed.     

CO2 laser annealing of plasma-deposited high-T c superconducting thick films

Recent advances in the fabrication of high-T _c superconducting thick films demand processing techniques which can eliminate film/substrate interdifiusion that occurs during subsequent post-annealing heat treatment after the film is deposited, thereby limiting the application of the thick films for devices. The present study evaluates laser annealing techniques for plasma-deposited Y-Ba-Cu-O thick films using a high-energy CO₂ laser (10.6Μm) in a continuous wave mode. The results are compared with those obtained by conventional furnace annealing techniques necessary for post-heat treatment of as-deposited superconducting thick films. The high-T _c superconducting phase is recovered by cationic diffusion during subsequent post-annealing heat treatment. Crystallographic phases and microstructural characterization have been performed using XRD, SEM, and EPMA analytical techniques. The significance of the technology lies in the elimination of film/substrate interdiffusion problems, thereby resulting in high-quality superconducting thick films. The technology will significantly reduce the post-annealing times usually required by conventional furnace annealing techniques.     

Thermal conductivity of high-Tc superconductors

This paper reviews existing data on the thermal conductivity of high-T _c superconductors. Included are discussions of pristine polycrystalline high-T _c ceramics, single crystal specimens, and high-T _c materials structurally modified by substitution or by radiation damage. The thermal conductivity of high-T _c superconductors is compared with that of conventional superconductors, and dramatic differences are found between the two families. Mechanisms of thermal conductivity applicable to high-T _c perovskites are discussed and implications for theories of high-T _c superconductivity are noted.     

A method for the accurate measurement of the complex conductivity of high-Tc superconductive thin films

In this paper, we introduce a method which makes it possible to rapidly and accurately determine the penetration depth as a function of temperature for superconductive thin film samples. A key feature of the approach described here is that it is derived only from electrodynamic definitions and makes no use of a selected model of superconductivity. Another advantage relative to some of the alternative methods presently in use is that it can be expected to give useful results for films with thicknesses that are as much as three times the zerotemperature effective penetration depth. When combined with an accurate evaluation ofR _S as a function of temperature for the same samples, these penetration depth data enable the computation of the complex conductivity for a wide variety of samples. One shortcoming of the method is the fact that it performs well only at temperatures below about 0.95T _c.     

Phase transformation in semi-transparent TiO2 films irradiated with CO2 laser

Anatase (TiO₂) thin films were obtained by immersion of glass plates into a titanium sol-gel precursor followed by calcination at 450 °C for 3 h. The Raman results for the CO₂ laser irradiated TiO₂ films show that laser radiation is able to promote favorable changes of anatase phase in anatase/rutile mixtures. Nevertheless, the transformation process level depends on laser characteristics and scan speed of the radiation treatment.     

The possibility of increasingTc in oxide high-Tc superconductor films: Interaction with elastic fields of defects

The influence onT _c of dilatation centers (DC) as elastic defects near the surface or in thin films of oxide high-T_c superconductors is considered. The distribution function ofT _c in this case was obtained. This is the Lorentzian with center shifted to largerT _c values. The half width of theT _c distribution n (n is the concentration of DC) is larger than its center shift and corresponds to the increase ofT _c fluctuations near the surface. As a result, a continuum percolation behavior with increasing critical temperature percolation levelT ^(c) near the surface appears. The inequalityn>T ^(c)>T _c ^initial is fulfilled. ForT>T ^(c) the quasi-2D Josephson media takes place where a finite superconductive domain withT _c ^local >T ^(c) exists. The influence of DC considerably increases for strong DC such as off-center impurity ions.     

Effect of Bi/Pb ratio and annealing temperature onTc and formation of high-Tc phase in Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductor

We studied the effect of Bi/Pb ratio and annealing temperature onT _c and formation of the high-T _c ; phase in Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductor by the three-step reaction process. The optimum Bi/Pb ratio is about 1.80.3 and the optimum annealing temperature is about 845–855°C. It is found that a variate high-T _c phase existed at the higher annealing temperature. The zero-resistance temperature of the variate high-T _c phase decreased when the annealing temperature increased, although the phase is isostructural with the 110 K phase.     

Magnetic hysteresis of the zero-resistance critical temperature of high-Tc granular superconductors

We have found a notorious hysteretic behavior in the dependence of the zero-resistance critical temperature obtained through resistivity () versus temperature (T) measurements with applied field (H _e ) in High-T _c granular superconductors. This behavior is explained semi-quantitatively based on the analogy between the present observation and a similar hysteresis found in the field dependence of the transport critical current in these materials.     

t-Model mechanism of high-Tc cuprates

A doublon formalism ofd-p model Hubbard Hamiltonian is studied only with transfer integrals, and without the superexchange term. This gives excellent doping-dependent features ofT _c in high-T _c cuprates.     

Superconductivity at differentTc in CdBa2Ca2Cu3Oy

A Cd analogue of the Tl and Hgn =3 series with nominal composition CdBa₂Ca₂Cu₃O_y has been synthesized. The samples were superconducting according to magnetic susceptibility measurements. The critical temperature was 103 or 107 K depending on the preparation conditions. The EDX analysis revealed the presence of Cd-1111, Cd-1121, and Cd-2333 as minor phases. The observed diamagnetic effects were attributed to the differentT _c of these phases.