Critical current density and microstructure of YBa2Cu3O7 thin films post-annealed at a low oxygen partial pressure

Post-annealing of thin films of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (YBCO) has been performed at 29 Pa and 750°C. For films 0.6 m thick, a critical current density >1 MA cm^–2 is obtained at 77 K, with a sharp eddy current response at 25 MHz. Microstructural investigation of these films by crosssectional and planar transmission electron microscopy reveals that the YBCO film has thec-axis normal to the plane of the substrate in a continuous sheet of varying thickness, frequently covering the entire thickness of the film. Mutually perpendicular rods with thec-axis in the plane of the LaAlO₃ substrate are also seen. The microstructure and critical current density of these films are compared with those of previously reported films post-annealed in atmosphericpressure oxygen.     

Film thickness dependence of critical current density for YBa2Cu3O7 films post-annealed at a low oxygen partial pressure

The variation of critical current density at 77 K as a function of film thickness was studied for YBa₂Cu₃O₇ films on (100) LaAlO₃ substrates. Film thicknesses were in the range 0.2–1.6m. The films were deposited by co-evaporation and post-annealed under conditions which have previously resulted in high-quality films (750°C and an oxygen partial pressure of 29 Pa). The critical current density at 77 K exceeds 1 MA cm^–2 for the thinner films, and decreases with increasing film thickness in excess of about 0.4m. The decrease is in rough agreement with a switch fromc-axis toa-axis growth at about this critical thickness. A good anticorrelation was found between room temperature resistivity and critical current density at 77 K. The results are compared to those obtained before by post-annealing at 850°C in 1 atm of oxygen.     

Optimization of annealing temperature for YBa2Cu3O7 thin films post-annealed at a low oxygen partial pressure

Post-annealing of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (YBCO) thin films is usually performed at 850–900°C in atmospheric-pressure oxygen. In this study, coevaporated YBCO films on LaAlO₃ were post-annealed in an oxygen partial pressure of 29 Pa at temperatures in the range 700–825°C. Zero resistance transition temperatures were 89–90 K. Both d.c. (room-temperature resistance and critical-current density) and a.c. parameters (extracted from eddy-current response measurements at 25 MHz) were monitored. The optimum temperature is close to 750°C, which is on the YBCO thermodynamic stability line at this low oxygen partial pressure.     

Degradation of thin films of YBa2Cu3O7 by annealing in air and in vacuum

The degradation of epitaxial thin films of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ has been studied as a function of annealing temperature in air and in vacuum; some samples had an evaporated overlayer of CaF₂. Degradation was monitored by the measurement of electrical properties after consecutive 30-min annealing treatments. The room-temperature resistance registered significant increases for all samples after annealing at temperatures above about 200°C; the critical current density at 77 K was degraded for annealing temperatures 400°C in air, and 200–250°C in vacuum. By annealing in oxygen at 550°C, electrical properties were restored in degraded bare YBCO samples annealed in vacuum, but not for those annealed in air.     

Process monitoring during post-annealing of YBa2Cu3O7 thin films containing fluorine

The post-annealing method of producing thin films of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (YBCO) has taken on a new impetus due to the recent work showing that films of the highest quality can be made by using low partial pressures of oxygen during the annealing cycle. Here it is shown that for films produced by using BaF₂ as a source material, the post-annealing procedure can be closely controlled by monitoring the F that evolves due to the water vapor reaction with BaF₂. The use of an ion-sensitive electrode allowed small F evolution rates (about 1 ng s^–1) to be detected above background, sufficient to measure the F evolution rate from even the smallest samples used. The time interval during which F evolves was found to increase with increasing YBCO film area being annealed.     

Microstructural study of YBa2Cu3O7/SrTiO3/YBa2Cu3O7 heteroepitaxial trilayer films grown on (100) SrTiO3 substrates

Detailed transmission electron microscopic study has been carried out on heteroepitaxial YBa₂Cu₃O₇/SrTiO₃/YBa₂Cu₃O₇ trilayer thin films grown on (100)SrTiO₃ substrates prepared by DC and RF magnetron sputtering. The microstructural results showed the existence of somea-axis-oriented YBCO grains 20–90 nm wide in thec-axis-oriented YBCO matrix. Some of thea-axis grains in the lower YBCO thin film layer have protruded into the above SrTiO₃ layer, which may cause short circuit between the two YBCO superconducting layers. This is unsuitable for the application of trilayer thin films for microelectronic devices. The defects on the surface of the substrates would also influence the growth quality of the YBCO thin films.     

Superconducting behavior of high-Tc YBa2Cu3O7 thin films with BaO impurity produced by pulsed laser deposition

We have investigated the superconducting behavior of high-T _c YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (YBCO) thin films containing BaO impure phase produced by pulsed laser deposition. The thin films were characterized by the standard four-probe method, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD showed that all these thin films contained BaO impurity, with thec-axis normal to the surface of the substrates. The presence of impurity existed from substrate temperatureT _s of 727 to 796°C. When these thin films with BaO impurity were measured under the magnetic fields, it was found that the critical current densityJ _c increased slightly with increase in magnetic fieldB within the range ofB500 G, in the case ofB perpendicular to thec-axis of the film.     

Raman scattering studies of ultrathin-layer YBa2Cu3O7/PrBa2Cu3O7 superlattices

We present Raman scattering studies ofc-oriented ultrathin-layer superconducting (YBa₂Cu₃O₇) _m /(PrBa₂Cu₃O₇) _n superlattices. For the superlattice with (m=2,n=1) sequence, Raman spectra reveal a new line in the spectral region around 320 cm^–1. It is interpreted as a mode representing a combination of IR optical phonons of the Y-sublayers with an admixture of aB _1g type Raman active vibration in the Pr sublayers. This new line, which is similar to those from the interior of the Brillouin zone of the original lattice, does not exhibit superconductivity-induced self-energy effects, although its counterpart in the pure substance does. No additional line is found in the (m=1,n=2) superlattice in the same region, supporting our interpretation for the (m=2,n=1) sample.     

Frequency and temperature dependence of the millimeter wave conductivity of epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7 films

A millimeter wave spectrometer for frequencies between 100 and 350 GHz consisting of continuously tunable backward wave oscillators as sources and a quasioptical interferometer in the Mach-Zehnder configuration was used to measure the transmittivity in phase and amplitude of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ thin films on NdGaO₃ substrates. From the measured spectra we derived the real and imaginary part of the dynamic conductivity= ₁+i ₂ in the superconducting state as a function of temperature. The ₁(T) and ₂(T) values at 300 GHz were compared to corresponding values at 19 GHz determined by surface impedance measurements of the same films using a shielded dielectric resonator. Our observed frequency dependence of both ₁(T) and ₂(T) is consistent with a strong reduction of the quasiparticle scattering rate ^–1(T) with decreasing temperature belowT _c .     

High-quality YBa2Cu3O7 films on 4-in. Wafers of sapphire, gallium arsenide, and silicon

Our technique of reactive thermal co-evaporation has been extended to fabricate large films (up to 4 in.) of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ with high quality. A rotating substrate holder is used to separate the deposition and oxidation processes. This allows free access of the metal vapors. As large substrate wafers we use Al₂O₃, Si, and GaAs with buffer layers of CeO₂, YSZ, and MgO, respectively. On all substrates, the uniformity of thickness and composition was better than 2%. Inductively measuredT _c andj _c (77 K) were 87.5±0.2 K and >1×10⁶ A/cm², respectively, across the full wafer area. This holds also for GaAs substrates due to a new procedure of capping by Si₃N₄.This work was supported by the German Bundesminister für Forschung und Technologie.     

Phonon structures in tunneling conductance of superconducting YBa2Cu3O7

We report on measurements of the tunneling conductance structures above the superconducting gap energy using YBa₂Cu₃O₇ polycrystalline junctions. The measured second derivative data are reproducible among the junctions, and the intensities of the common structures at the biases of 37–38, 47–53, 67–77, and 94–95 mV are strong enough to be assigned. These structures are in agreement with those in the neutron phonon density of states in whole energy regions when the energies are measured from the gap edge of 26±1 meV. This correspondence indicates that the electron-phonon interaction contributes to the pairing mechanism of this superconductor.     

Fluctuation conductivity in Li-doped YBa2Cu3O7?x

The paraconductivity of Li-doped YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x was measured. We have found that the character of the fluctuation changes as lithium content increases: instead of a crossover from 2D to 3D behavior (D is the dimensionality), as we have observed for a low doping level, a double crossover to the 2D percolative and 3D percolative regimes becomes manifest by increasing the lithium content.     

Magnetization and Susceptibility Studies on BaZrO3-Doped YBa2Cu3O7 ? x Bulk Superconductors

We studied the YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 – x} bulk superconductor doped with BaZrO₃ up to 50 wt.%, obtained by solid-state reaction powder technology. From DC magnetization loops and low frequency AC susceptibility measurements we determined the influence of the BaZrO₃ doping level on the critical temperature, critical current density, field for full penetration, and intergrain lower critical field. The results show that even high content of BaZrO₃ does not lead to degradation of the superconducting properties of bulk YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 – x} .     

Analysis of electronic structure and charge density of the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7

Self-consistent linearized augmented plane wave (LAPW) method calculations of the band structure, density of states, Fermi surface, Coulomb potential, charge density, core-level shifts, and electron-phonon interaction are presented for Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O₇. The calculated Sommerfield parameter is 4.35 mJ(mole Cu)^–1 K^–2, roughly about a factor of 2 smaller than experimentally deduced values of the enhanced value=(1 + )₀, suggesting that the Fermi surface mass enhancement is of the order of unity. The crystal charge density is best represented by overlapping spherical ionic densities when the Cu and O ions are assigned charges of +1.62 and –1.69, respectively, corresponding to about 0.3 holes per oxygen atom. Core-level energies for the inequivalent atoms differ by as much as 0.45 eV for Cu and 0.7 eV for O, amounts which may be detectable by core-level spectroscopies. These results provide important information on the character and magnitude of ionic contributions to bonding in these materials. Within the rigid muffin-tin approximation, calculated McMillan-Hopfield parameters yield estimates for the electron-phonon strength that appear to be too small to account for the observedT _c. We point out an unusual band of oxygen-derived chain states below, but within 0.1 eV of, the Fermi level.     

Charge Transport in Spin-Textured YBa2Cu3O6.25

The electric transport of the charged particles in a spin texture was investigated in a strongly underdoped YBa₂Cu₃O_6.25 single crystal in order to identify the characteristic electrical transport mechanism. The in-plane resistivity revealed three different regimes of charge transport: a chiral 2D VRH regime up to 55 K with a characteristic temperature T _d 12,400 K, an impurity band conduction regime above 55 K, and a metallic-like regime beyond 170 K. The out-of-plane resistivity has only one crossover at 115 K, but the conduction mechanisms controlling the two regimes are not clear.     

Nonmonotonous Variation of the Superconducting Parameters of Neutron Irradiated Li-Doped YBa2Cu3O7?x

The effect of thermal and epithermal neutron irradiation on the superconducting critical temperature and critical current density of some Li-doped YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x samples was studied. The critical temperature exhibits a peak and the critical current density a valley in their dependence on neutron fluence, for moderate dose. A simple model, based on the Van Hove scenario and the kinetics of the defect production, is used to describe both phenomena.     

Charge-transfer in YBa2Cu3Ox

The charge-transfer hypothesis is shown to be inconsistent with data for YBa₂Cu₃O_x: (i) The two-step behavior ofT _c(x) (with jumps from zero to 60 K and then to 90 K) is not reflected as a similar, statistically significant two-step behavior in the bond-valence-sum charge of cuprate-plane Cu ions (as once believed), (ii) as a consequence of the law of conservation of charge, the derivatives of the layer charges with respect to oxygen contentx for both the Ba-O layers and the charge-reservoir Cu-O chains have the opposite signs to those predicted, and (iii) the charge-transfer observed for superconducting YBa₂Cu₃O_x is not sufficient to produce superconductivity, as demonstrated by insulating PrBa₂Cu₃O_x, which has virtually the same layer charges.     

Chemical vapor deposition of the superconductor YBa2Cu3O7?x(s) from the gas phase

The deposition of the condensed phase YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x from a gas mixture composed of YCl₃, BaCl₂, Cu₃Cl₃, and Ar reacting with another consisting of O₂ and Ar in a flow system at elevated temperatures was investigated by means of the virtual equilibrium model, and the deposition rates were computed as a function of input gas stream compositions. The optimum growth conditions were identified.     

PrBa2Cu3O7: A new superconductor

PrBa₂Cu₃O₇ superconducts, provided Pr is kept off Ba-sites — experimentally confirming the prediction of the oxygen model and indicating that superconductivity originates in the chains, not in the planes.     

超导PbO/YBa2Cu3O7-δ复合氧化物摩擦磨损性能

为适应从低温到高温宽温范围的使用条件,用溶胶-凝胶法制备了YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ超导材料,用摩擦磨损试验机测试了YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ从室温至液氮温度的摩擦学性能。结果表明：室温20℃下,YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ与对偶件不锈钢盘对摩时,摩擦因数在0.5左右,当温度降到超导转变温度以下时（液氮温度-196℃）摩擦因数大幅度降低,YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ超导态摩擦因数是正常态值的一半,实验直接证明了电子激励对摩擦能量耗散的作用。为改善室温下YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ摩擦学性能, 掺杂不同质量分数PbO作为润滑组元,制备了PbO/YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ超导固体润滑复合材料,取得良好效果。PbO掺杂不影响PbO/YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ复合材料的超导电性,在正常的载荷和滑行速度下15%PbO/YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ复合材料摩擦因数为0.2至0.3,磨损率为4.35×10-4 mm3·（N·m）-1,分析了PbO/ YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ复合材料减摩耐磨机制。