Crystal structure of YBa2Cu3O7−x thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition with substrate bias voltage

The crystal structure of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x thin films has been investigated by cross-section transmission electron microscopy. The samples were deposited on MgO (100) substrates at 670°C with substrate bias voltages of ±300 V. For the unbiased case, c-axis, a-axis and (103) oriented domains normal to the substrate surface were observed. In this film, the c-axis oriented domains are dominant, but the crystal often exhibits a longer c-lattice constant than that of the YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x system, so extra cationic layers are inserted in the YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x intrinsic stacking sequence. For the case of −300 V, rotated domains were dominant in the entire film; however, c-axis oriented domains also grow from the substrate surface. Small-angle semicoherent grain boundaries between them were observed. In the case of +300 V, all the grains show c-axis oriented YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x. The degree of preferential orientation of the grains is reduced at negative bias voltage of −300 V and the structure defects are reduced by applying a positive bias of +300 V.     

Neutron diffraction study of magnetic ordering in ErMn2Si2, ErMn2Ge2 and ErFe2Si2

Neutron diffraction study of polycrystalline compounds ErMn₂Si₂, ErMn₂Ge₂ and ErFe₂Si₂ was performed in the temperature range between 1.8 and 293 K. All compounds have tetragonal, ThCr₂Si₂-type crystal structure. The antiferromagnetic collinear structure of ErMn₂Si₂ and ErMn₂Ge₂ at both RT and LNT, consists of a sequence + - + - of ferromagnetic layers of Mn atoms. The magnetic moment of an Mn atom (≈2μ_B) is parallel to the c-axist. At low temperatures (LHT and lower), the ferromagnetic ordering within the Er sublattice is observed. The magnetic moment (μ_Er ≈ 9μ_B) is perpendicular to the c-axis. From the temperature dependence of the intensities of the magnetic peaks, the following values for the Curie temperatures were obtained: (10±5) K for ErMn₂Si₂ and (8.5±3) K for ErMn₂Ge₂. For ErFe₂Si₂ a collinear antiferromagnetic structure of the + - - + type was found, the magnetic unit cell consisting of the chemical one, doubled along the c-axis.     

New experimental evidence of the structural modification in single crystal Bi2Sr2CaCu2Oy by X-ray diffraction observation

The variations of the high angle 00 peak-shape by means of X-ray l scans of the 00l fundamental reflections were investigated in detail for a highly oriented Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_y (Bi2212) crystal with sufficiently small intrinsic mosaicity and the same crystal annealed in air at 250, 300, 400, 600, and 750°C for 20 h in consequence. For the first time, we observed a new additional reflection almost overlapped original 00l fundamental reflection at annealing temperature below 400°C by X-ray diffraction measurement, which shows that there coexisted two sets of lattice periodicity in the c-direction of the annealed crystal. The new additional reflection appeared at 250°C and disappeared at 400°C. Its intensity was increased at 300°C. The measurements of the AC susceptibility, c-axis parameter and full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the 00 peaks showed that the new additional reflection was associated with the oxygen diffusion in CuO₂ planes and the changes of strain field. The results provide the new experimental evidence that the structural distortion is more sensitive to the oxygen diffusion in CuO₂ planes than to that in Bi–O layers.     

Fabrication, microstructure and critical current density of screen-printed Ag-(Bi, Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox superconducting tapes

The influence of the sintering conditions on the microstructure and critical current density J_c has been studied on screen-printed Ag-(Bi, Pb)₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O_x tapes with a ceramics mono-layer core. Three kinds of fabrication processes, which consist of a combination of cold working (rolling and/or pressing) and sintering, are applied. Four times repetition of pressing and sintering after the pre-sintering produces the highest c-axis alignment and achieves J_c= 1.5 × 10⁴ A/cm² (77 K, 0 T). The J_c versus θ data with an angle θ between B and the c-axis elucidate the relation between the anisotropy ratio γ=J_c(Bc)/J_c(B|c and the half-height angular width Δθ of a peak for Bc. This is related to both grain alignment and the J_c value. An increase in J_c, which comes from an improvement for grain alignment, enhances γ and narrows Δθ. The J_c versus θ data are fitted to the expression J_c(B, θ)=J _c(B, 90°)/[(γ−1)|cos θ|ⁿ+1] by regarding both γ and n as adjustable parameters. Fabrication of screen-printed tapes with multilayers (1≤N≤5) is presented, where the critical current increases from 8.0 A to 30.2 A at 77 K and 0 T as N increases.     

Measurement and analysis of the infrared reflection spectrum of semiconducting SnS

The infrared reflection spectrum of p-type SnS single crystals was measured between 2 and 25μ. The observed dispersion was ascribed to the combined effects of lattice vibrations and free holes. An analysis gave for the index of refraction n₀ = 3.6 ± 0.1, the dielectric constant = 19.5 ± 2, and the effective charge on the atoms e^* = 0.7e₀.

The effective mass of holes is isotropic in the plane perpendicular to the c-axis, with m^* = 0.20m₀; the effective mass parallel to the c-axis is much larger: m^* m₀.     

Microstructure and transport properties of YBa2Cu3O7−δ films produced by laser ablation from a BaF2/Y2O3/CuO target

The effects of varying the temperature and duration of the post-deposition anneal in watersaturated oxygen were investigated for YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ films of varying thickness. The films were produced by laser ablation from pressed powder targets consisting of BaF₂,Y₂O₃, and CuO mixtures. This technique produces superconducting films with a highly textured surface. The films were fabricated on SrTiO₃ substrates and were analyzed with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and temperature dependent resistivity. Critical current density (J_c) measurements were performed in magnetic fields up to 1 T. For film thickness on the order of 900 nm, completely c-axis oriented films were obtained with a 60 min anneal at 850°C. Thinner films required less annealing, either shorter times or lower temperatures, to achieve similar results, indicating that the optimal annealing conditions are dependent on film thickness.     

High quality epitaxial YBCO(F) films directly deposited on sapphire

High-quality epitaxial YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ (F) films were grown directly on r-plane (1 02) sapphire by a pulsed laser deposition technique using a multiphase fluorinated target. X-ray diffraction data showed that the film is highly c-axis oriented and in-plane aligned. The c-axis and in-plane mosaic spread are 1.1° and 2.4°, respectively. The microwave surface resistance measured by a con-focal resonator configuration is 56 mΩ at 94.1 GHz at 77 K which is the best reported value for a YBCO film on sapphire.

The improved film quality is attributed to the fluorine which is transported from the target to the growing surface of the film where it acts as an etching and/or catalytic agent to preferentially remove defects and second phase impurities and to promote better in-plane epitaxy.     

Formation of Ca-doped YBa2Cu4O8 phase in thin films

Ca-doped YBa₂Cu₄O₈ (124) thin films are prepared on (100) SrTiO₃ substrates by annealing the amorphous films deposited using a pulsed laser deposition technique. The X-ray diffraction measurements show that the Ca-doped YBa₂Cu₄O₈ phase is formed by annealing below 800°C at a oxygen pressure of 1 atm. The 124 films have c-axis orientation normal to the substrates. As the Ca content increases, the proportion of the 123 impurity phase in the samples increases. The onset temperature of superconductivity of the Y(Ca)Ba₂Cu₄O₈ films increases from 79 K to 88 K with an increase Ca-substitution for 5 to 10% of Y.     

Measurements of anisotropic thermopower of magnetically aligned YBa2Cu3O7−δ ceramics: evidence of successful texturing techniques

Aligned YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ ceramics have been obtained using a field of 1 T without being embedded in epoxy. Thermopower, XRD, and SEM are used to characterize the aligned ceramics. For the sample with δ=0.05, the thermopower exhibits a strong anisotropy. The ab-plane thermopower behaves distinctly from that along the c-axis. The ab-plane thermopower shows remarkable similarities to that along the b-axis in an untwinned single crystal. The magnitude and temperature dependence of the c-axis thermopower are almost identical to those of a twinned single crystal. For samples with larger oxygen deficiency, the anisotropy remains. These measurements indicate that these ceramics are well aligned along their crystallographic directions. This also makes available the anisotropic thermopower measurements of ceramic samples by aligning polycrystallites using magnetic forces.     

Magnetic alignment in nominally non-magnetic hexagonal metal hydrides: NMR

Powders of three hexagonal metal-hydrides or -deuterides are found to align in 4.4–8.3 T magnetic fields used for NMR. The field-alignment is unexpected, since all three systems have very small susceptibilities, as demonstrated by sharp NMR lines. The extent of alignment runs from nearly complete to barely detectable in ZrBe₂(H,D)_x, LuD₃, and YD₃, respectively. The preferred alignment direction in ZrBe₂(H,D)_x is with the crystallites’ c-axis perpendicular to B, while the c-axis and B tend to be parallel in LuD₃ and YD₃. The susceptibilities χ_|| and χ are determined from bulk magnetization measurements in aligned ZrBe₂H_1.4 powder. The alignment must be considered for proper analysis of NMR spectra in these and related materials.     

Surface morphology and electrical properties of Bi---Sr---Ca---Cu---O thin films deposited by reactive sputtering from multiple targets

Smooth, superconducting films of Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+° have been prepared by reactive sputtering from elemental targets in the presence of ozone. The influence of substrate temperature, deposition rate, and ozone pressure on the resulting films are discussed. Films deposited on SrTiO₃ substrates are c-axis oriented and featureless for substrate temperatures below 710°C. Above this temperature, small inclusions of CuO appear. Films on MgO exhibit mixed a-axis and c-axis orientation below about 710°C, and inclusions of CuO above this temperature. The temperature at which this transition occurs increases with increasing deposition rate. T_c increases and then decreases sharply with decreasing oxygen content. The oxygen partial pressure corresponding to the maximum T_c of 77 K is well above the thermodynamic stability limit for Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+°, suggesting that an optimum carrier concentration has been achieved for these films.     

Magnetic structure determination of NdNiC2 and TmNiC2 by neutron diffraction

Isostructural orthorhombic NdNiC₂ and TmNiC₂ reveal collinear antiferromagnetic structures with magnetic propagation vectors [1/21/20] and [0, 0, 1], respectively. In NdNiC₂, ferromagnetic (110) planes are coupled pairwise in opposite spin orientations; in TmNiC₂, adjacent ferromagnetic (001) planes are coupled antiferromagnetically. The magnetic moments are oriented parallel to the a-axis and have values of 2.7μ_B (Nd) and 3.3μ_B (Tm) at 4 K.     

Specific heat and anisotropic superconducting and normal-state magnetization of HoNi2B2C

The magnetization of single-crystal HoNi₂B₂C has been measured as a function of applied field (H) and temperature in order to probe the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism in this complex layered system. The normal-state magnetic susceptibility of HoNi₂B₂C is highly anisotropic with a Curie-Weiss-like temperature dependence for H applied perpendicular to the c-axis and with a much weaker temperature dependence for H applied parallel to the c-axis, indicating that the Ho⁺³ magnetic moments lie predominately in the tetragonal a−b plane below 20 K. High-field magnetization (2000 Oe), low-field magnetization (20 Oe) and zero-field specific heat all give an antiferromagnetic ordering temperature of T_N=5.0 K. Remarkably, in 20 Oe applied field both superconductivity (T_c=8.0 K) and antiferromagnetism (T_N=5.0 K) clearly make themselves manifest in the magnetization data. From these magnetization data a phase diagram in the H−T plane was constructed for both directions of applied field. This phase diagram shows a non-monotonic temperature dependence of H_c2 with a deep minimum at T_N=5 K. The high-field magnetization data for H applied perpendicular to the c-axis also reveal a cascade of three phase transitions for T < 5 K and H < 15 000 Oe, contributing to the rich H versus T phase diagram for HoNi₂B₂C at low temperatures.     

The dispersion properties of surface acoustic wave devices on AlN/LiNbO3 film/substrate structure

Highly c-axis oriented aluminum nitride (AlN) films were deposited on z-cut LiNbO₃ substrates by reactive rf magnetron sputtering. The crystalline properties investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that AlN film with (0 0 2) preferred orientation was improved by an increase of the deposition time within the experimental range. However, the surface morphology of AlN film measured by scanning probe microscopy (SPM) showed that the roughness was getting worse with increase of deposition time. Surface acoustic wave (SAW) properties, measured by a network analyzer in the structure consisting of highly c-axis AlN films on z-cut LiNbO₃ substrates, were investigated. The phase velocity (V_P) was significantly increased by the increase of h/λ, where h is the thickness of AlN film and λ is the wavelength. However, the insertion loss (IL) of SAW filters was also increased by the increase of h/λ. Experimental results on the temperature characteristics of SAW devices are also presented.     

Crystal and magnetic structure of the sulfur spinels Cu0.45Co0.55Cr2S4 - xSex

The magnetic and crystal structures of the metallic sulfospinels Cu_0.45Co_0.55Cr₂S_{4 - x}Se_x have been investigated for x = 0, 0.42 and 1.0 by neutron powder diffraction techniques. The data have been analyzed by the Rietveld method. All three compositions show ferrimagnetism at low temperatures with a chromium moment of (2.7±0.1)μ_B and a cobalt moment of (2.8±0.1)μ_B. The Curie temperature varies from 293 to 253 K.     

Neutron diffraction study of the MnPd3 phase

The magnetic structure of MnPd₃ has been refined using improved crystal structure data for the I4/mmm space group. The magnetic moment on Pd atoms coupled antiparallel to the Mn moments of 4.1 ± 0.3 μ_B was found by neutron diffraction to be 0.15 ± 0.03 μ_B in the 4(c) and 4(e) positions. The Pd moments on the 4(d) sites are assumed to be zero on symmetry grounds.     

Properties of the proposed τ charged lepton

The anomalous eμ and 2-prong μx events produced in e⁺e⁻ annihilation are used to determine the properties of the proposed τ charged lepton. We find the τ mass is 1.90 ± 0.10 GeV/c²; the mass of the associated neutrino, ν_τ, is less than 0.6 GeV/c² with 95% confidence; V - A coupling is favored over V + A coupling for the τ − ν_τ current; and the leptonic branching ratios are 0.186 ± 0.010 ± 0.028 from the eμ events and 0.175 ± 0.027 ± 0.030 from the μx events where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic.     

Electrochemical reduction of Bi2Sr2Ca1Cu2O8 superconductor single crystals

Single crystals and polycrystalline pellets of the high-temperature cuprate superconductor Bi₂Sr₂Ca₁Cu₂O₈ were doped at room temperature by electrochemical reduction at > 95% Coulombic efficiency using lithium dopant ions in propylene carbonate electrolyte. Cyclic voltammetry and potential step measurements on single crystals suggest an unusual reduction mechanism, with a diffusion coefficient for Li⁺ in the c-axis direction of bulk superconductor of ca. 3 × 10⁻¹¹ cm²s⁻¹. Sintered pellets of polycrystalline powder could be doped more rapidly, with an apparent diffusion coefficient of 7 × 10⁻⁸ cm²s⁻¹. X-ray susceptibility analysis show extensive disordering occurs on heavy Li doping, with a first-order transition from a crystalline/superconducting to an amorphous/non-superconducting phase. Single, crystals of Bi₂Sr₂Ca₁Cu₂O₈ exhibited a color change on reduction from metallic gray to golden bronze. The reduced material was highly air-sensitive, forming a hydroxide surface film on exposure to ambient atmosphere.     

Temperature dependence of the resistivity and its anisotropy in n-type Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4 single crystal

Measurements of the in-plane and c-axis normal-state resistivity in a superconducting Nd_1.85Ce_0.15CuO_4−δ single crystal are reported. The resistivity anisotropy of this n-type material is ≤250, much smaller than BiSCCO and comparable to YBaCuO. Both, _ab(T) and _c(T) displays a metallic-like positive temperature coefficient of resistivity with a basic T² dependence. We discuss some possible origins of this peculiar temperature dependence.     

Low temperature magnetocaloric effects in Dy1Ba2Cu3O7−δ and Y1Ba2Cu3O7−δ high-Tc single crystals

The heat release has been measured in high temperature superconductors during and after a change of the external magnetic field μ₀H_a ≤ 0.5 T applied parallel to the c-axis at 0.1 K ≤ T ≤ 0.45 K. Two Y123 and one Dy123 twinned single crystals were investigated. An analysis of the heat release based on the Bean model and on a model for thin superconductors in perpendicular geometry recently proposed by Brandt et al. has been carried out. During field sweep we measured ∝ H_a²dH_a/dt. This dependence can be understood within the Bean model for longitudinal geometry. The critical current densities obtained with this method are in good agreement with those from magnetization measurements. We also present measurements, and a first quantitative analysis, of dissipation due to the time relaxation of the flux line lattice after a field sweep. For the heat release a t⁻¹ dependence has been found which corresponds to a logarithmic time dependence of the magnetization. The normalized relaxation rate we obtained is in agreement with literature values.