The relationship among oxygen content, defect distribution and superconductivity in BiSrCaCuO systems

The effect of oxygen content on superconductivity of the 2212 and 2223 phase has been studied. By comparing the excess oxygen, the modulation vector, the XRD patterns, and the electric resistivity of 2212 and 2223 phase samples obtained with different post-annealing conditions, i.e., annealing at 600°C or quenching from 860°C, it was found that the super-conductivity is markedly influenced by both the defect distribution in non-Bi layers and the interstitial oxygens incorporated in the Bi-O layers. A tentative explanation for this is given.