Fluctuation conductivity along the c-axis and parallel to the ab-planes in melt-textured YBa2Cu3O7−δ samples doped with Y211 phase

We report measurements of in-plane and out-of-plane fluctuation conductivity under low applied magnetic fields up to 500 Oe in two melt-textured YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ (YBCO) samples. 3D-Gaussian and genuine critical 3D-XY-E fluctuation regimes were identified in the conductivity parallel to the ab plane. In addition, a regime beyond 3D-XY was observed in the immediate vicinity of the superconducting transition of the in-plane fluctuation conductivity. The 3D-XY-E scaling was also identified in the fluctuation conductivity along the c-axis in the sample with smaller content of the Y₂BaCuO₅ (Y211) phase. This result indicates that the superconducting state in YBCO has a three-dimensional character, in contradiction to some studies suggesting that critical phenomenology is fundamentally distinct in orientations parallel or perpendicular to the Cu-O₂ planes of the high-temperature superconductors. However, the results suggests the presence of a sub-dominant order-parameter component in YBCO that has an appreciable projection along the c-axis.     

Coherence transition in granular YBa2Cu3O7-δ, YBa2Cu2.95Zn0.05O7-δ, and YBa1.75Sr0.25Cu3O7-δ superconductors

We have studied experimentally the electrical magneto-conductivity near the superconducting transition of YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ, YBa₂ (Cu_2.95Zn_0.05)O_7-δ and Y(Ba_1.75Sr_0.25)Cu₃O_7-δ polycrystalline samples. The measurements were performed in magnetic fields ranging from 0 to 400 Oe applied parallel to the current orientation. The results show that the resistive transition of these systems proceeds in two stages. The pairing transition occurs at the bulk critical temperature T_c, where superconductivity is stabilized within small and homogeneous regions of the sample generically called grains. The regime of approach to the zero resistance state reveals the occurrence of a coherence transition at a lower temperature T_c0. This transition is related to the connective nature of the granular samples and is controlled by fluctuations of the order-parameter phase of individual grains. Our experiments show that the Zn-doping, besides depressing the pairing critical temperature, strongly enlarges the temperature range dominated by effects related to the coherence transition. The substitution of Ba by Sr causes only a small reduction of T_c, but also enhances significantly the effects related to the grain coupling phenomenology. In general, our results indicate that these impurity substitutions in YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ produce or magnify the granularity at a microscopic level, enhancing the effects of phase fluctuations in the conductivity near the transition.     

Coherence transition in granular high temperature superconductors

We have studied experimentally the electrical conductivity and specific heat near the superconducting transition of granular samples of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ, YBa₂(Cu_2.98Zn_0.02)O_7−δ and GdBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ. The results show that the transition proceeds in two stages. Careful analysis of the conductivity in the regime of approach to the zero resistance state reveals the occurrence of a coherence transition, which is related to the connective nature of the granular samples. This transition occurs when the fluctuating phases of the order parameter in individual grains become long-range ordered. We obtain the exponent for fluctuation conductivity and the relevant critical temperature, T_co, which is close to the point where resistivity vanishes. The specific heat results, when analyzed as dC/dT, show a weak but reproducible cusp-like anomaly at T_co. This finding gives strong support to the interpretation of the coherence transition as a genuine critical phenomenon.     

EPR study of the high-TC superconductor YBa2Cu3O7−δ

EPR spectra of superconducting YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ and insulating Y₂BaCuO₅ have been examined. The intensity of Cu²⁺ ions in YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ is about 1/3000 of that in Y₂BaCuO₅ at room temperature. Owing to the Meissner effect in the superconducting state, the EPR signal of Cu²⁺ ions in YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ disappears; moreover the EPR signal of DPPH deposited on the YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ specimen is shifted. An additional EPR line is found for YBa₂(Cu_2.94Cr_0.06)O_7-δ at temperatures below 113K; this can be related to the phenomenon of superconductivity.     

YBa2Cu3O7-x涂层导体的外延生长和性能对CeO2缓冲层的依赖性

利用倾斜衬底沉积法在无织构的金属衬底上生长了MgO双轴织构的模板层,在这一模板层上实现了YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x薄膜的外延生长.在外延YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x薄膜前,依次沉积了钇稳定的立方氧化锆和CeO₂作为缓冲层.利用X射线衍射2θ扫描、扫描、Ω扫描和极图分析测定了这些膜的结构和双轴织 关键词： 2Cu₃O_7-x镀膜导体')" href="#">YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x镀膜导体 2缓冲层')" href="#">CeO₂缓冲层 厚度依赖性 外延生长     

NdBa2Cu3O7-δ/YBa2Cu3O7-δ多层膜体系的外延结构和磁通钉扎的研究

采用脉冲激光沉积技术,在单晶SrTiO₃基底上外延生长了一系列名义结构为p×(NdBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ(m)/YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ(n))的多层膜和准多层膜(单元层NdBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ较厚而YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ呈非连贯的岛状分布,m,n为激光脉冲数,p为重复周期).样品的超导转变温度在87—91 K范围,具体大小取决于不同的调制结构,多层膜的重复周期越大,层状界面越多,超导转变温度就越低.磁传输测量表明,准多层的样品不仅具有较高的超导转变温度,而且具有较强的磁通钉扎性能,77K零场下的临界电流密度高达4×10⁶ A/cm²,显示出良好的应用前景. 关键词： 2Cu₃O_7-δ')" href="#">NdBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ 多层膜 磁通钉扎 临界电流密度     

Fluctuation-induced conductivity in melt-textured Pr-doped YBa2Cu3O7-δ composite superconductor

In this study, the effects of thermal fluctuations on the electrical conductivity in melt-textured YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ, Y_0.95Pr_0.05Ba₂Cu₃O_7-δ and (YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ)_0.95–(PrBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ)_0.05 composite superconductor were considered. The composite superconductor samples were prepared through the top seeding method using melt-textured NdBa₂Cu₃O_7-d seeds. The resistivity measurements were performed with a low-frequency, low-current AC technique in order to extract the temperature derivative and analyze the influence of the praseodymium ion on the normal superconductor transition and consequently on the fluctuation regimes. The results show that the resistive transition is a two-step process. In the normal phase, above the critical temperature, Gaussian and critical fluctuation regimes were identified, while below the critical temperature, in the regime near the approach to the zero-resistance state, the fluctuation conductivity diverges as expected in a paracoherent-coherent transition.     

氧缺位对单相YBa2Cu3O7-x热电势率的影响

研究了氧缺位对单相YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x体系超导电性及热电势率的影响。结果表明,超导转变温度随氧缺位的增加而下降,热电势率随氧缺位的增加而增大。由实验结果推断,单相YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x的多数载流子为空穴。存在较大的声子曳引热电势表明。在YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x超导体中存在较强的电-声子相互作用。 关键词：     

Effect of nominal copper concentration in YBa2Cu3±x O7−δ on the superconducting transition

Variation of the copper concentration in the nominal composition YBa₂Cu_3±x O_7−δ markedly influences the superconducting transition. The transition occurs at the highest temperature with lower width, whenx = +0·25. Communication No. 82 from Materials Research Laboratory.     

Low-temperature growth of high-Tc superconducting films by plasma-enhanced metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

Plasma-enhanced MOCVD in which metal-organic compounds are sublimated directly into the growth chamber is studied for the first time as a new low-temperature process for growing superconducting YBa₂Cu₃O-_-x thin films. Y(THD)₃, Ba(THD)₂, Cu(THD)₂ and oxygen are used as metal sources and oxydizing agent. Emission spectroscopy reveals that activated metal-organic compounds and activated oxygen species are present during film growth. Superconducting YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x films whose zero-resistivity temperature are 50 K and 82 K are grown at 550°C and 600°C.     

Structural and superconducting behaviour of Mg- and Zn-substituted YBa2Cu3O7-δ

Effects of doping YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ with Mg and Zn on its crystallographic structure and superconducting behaviour have been investigated. Orthorhombic structure is retained upto Mg/Cu ratio of 0.12 (the highest investigated here), but T_c decreases rapidly with the level of Mg-doping. The effects produced by Mg-doping are very similar to those due to Zn-doping investigated by the present authors as well as by others. Neutron diffraction measurements have been carried out on two substituted materials: YBa₂Cu_2.82Mg_0.18O_7-δ and YBa₂Cu_2.82Zn_0.18O_7-δ. Both Mg- and Zn-dopants show strong tendency of occupying Cu(II)-sites in the unit cell. In the case of Mg-doping, however, a strikingly different feature is the concomitant depletion of oxygen at the O₃-sites by an amount nearly equal to the Mg-concentration.     

An “EPR” study of YBa2Cu3O7 and related high-temperature superconductors

Besides ag ≈ 2 signal which disappears on cooling to the superconductingT _c , YBa₂Cu₃O₇ and related oxides show a near-zero-field signal in the superconducting state with certain unusual features attributable to a “superconducting glassy state”. Contribution No. 443 from Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit.     

Increased critical current density and pinning in thick Ag/YBa2Cu3O7−x multilayers

We have investigated the superconducting properties of Ag/YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x thick multilayers grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition, and found that the artificial pinning centres induced by Ag nanodots lead to a significant increase in critical current, especially in high applied magnetic fields. Transmission Electron Microscopy showed a columnar growth of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x induced by Ag nanodots, while angle-dependent transport measurements revealed the existence of strong, both isotropic and c-axis correlated, artificial pinning centres.     

Measurements of critical currents in a sintered ring of YBa2Cu3O7 with magnetically induced transport currents

We attempted to measure electromagnetically transport critical currents in a ceramic ring of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ made by usual sintering technique from YBa₂Cu₃O₇ powder through a dry process, by observing saturations of currents to shield an inner region of the ring from pulse fields of a solenoid which was cooled down together with the specimen by a G-M cryo-cooler in the temperature range from its critical temperature to 30 K. The estimated values exceed 10 000 A/cm² at 77 K. The oscilloscope traces of the output of the search coil in the center of the ring indicate a possibility that the shielding currents consist of two components having different superconducting characteristics. The degradation of the critical currents with increasing sintering time was observed and the growth of the grains was also observed by SEM at each sintered state.     

Structure of grain boundaries in YBa2Cu3O7 thin-film step-edge junctions

The atomic structure of 90° [100] (or [010]) tilt grain boundaries in YBa₂Cu₃O₇ thin-film step-edge junctions and, for comparison, in the interface between a-axis and c-axis oriented YBa₂Cu₃O₇ grains is investigated by means of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. For (100)(001)-type boundaries two different structures are found. In the first a (001) CuO₂ plane of one grain faces a (100) Y–Ba–O plane of the other grain, in the second a (001) BaO plane faces a (100) Cu–O plane. In the former structure an incomplete unit cell of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ terminates at the boundary and a smaller strain in the adjacent CuO₂ planes is detected in comparison with the latter. It is found that a combination of a partial dislocation with a 124 stacking fault is a way to accommodate the lattice mismatch between c and 3a of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ in the boundary. For a symmetric (103)(103)-type boundary a displacement of the Cu-atoms of the CuO₂ planes is found near the boundary plane. From this a redistribution of the oxygen atoms around the Y-atoms located right in the boundary plane is inferred. The possible effect of the boundary structure on the superconducting properties of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ films is discussed.     

Dependence of the laser-induced voltages on the oxygen content in normal state YBa2Cu3O7−δ films

Our investigation on the relation between oxygen content and the laser-induced voltages of the YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ films in normal-state shows that deoxygenation of the superconducting films reduces the laser-induced voltages greatly, even reverses the sign of the signals at large oxygen deficiency. The absolute value of the negative signal at large oxygen deficiency can be greater than that of the positive signal.     

Zn局域替代YBa2Cu3O7中的Cu引起的电子结构变化

本文用Recursion方法研究Zn局域替代Ba₂Cu₃O₇中的Cu(2)引起的电子结构变化。研究表明,Zn的替代对替代晶位及其近邻的电子结构性质有重要影响。这些性质包括分波态密度、成键态的类别和强弱、晶位上原子的原子价等。计算结果的分析指出,Zn替代将导致电荷发生迁移,使CuO₂层层内的空穴减少。我们认为,电荷分布发生的这种变化是Zn低浓度替代时YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 关键词：}     

Effects of indium doping on the superconducting properties of YBa2Cu3Oy sintered compounds and thin films

We investigated the effects of indium doping on the superconducting properties of YBCO sintered samples and thin films. In₂O₃-doped YBCO and YBa₂Cu_3−xIn_xO_y sintered samples showed a gradual decrease in the critical temperature (T_c) with increasing indium content; however, a T_c value above 80 K was maintained even up to 30 vol.% addition and x = 0.4, respectively. Ba₃Cu₃In₄O₁₂ was detected by X-ray diffractometry and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy as a reaction product for both sintered samples. The normalized J_c under a magnetic field of 0.1 T showed a maximum at x = 0.3. Indium-doped YBCO films prepared by pulsed laser deposition showed a similar dependence of T_c on indium content as the sintered samples.     

Anomalous behaviour of sound velocity in the highT c superconductor YBa2Cu3O7

The longitudinal acoustic wave velocity in YBa₂Cu₃O₇ has been measured in the range 300 to 85 K using the ultrasonic pulse superposition technique. The sound velocity shows a steep drop in its value at 260 K and decreases continuously till the superconducting transition temperature. BelowT _c the sound velocity increases steeply. A hysteresis is seen when the experiments are performed during a cooling-warming cycle. The results are compared with recent measurements by Ewertet al on the samples with the same chemical composition.     

Study of the superconducting transition in YBa2Cu3O7−δ single crystal by thermopower measurements

We have determined the superconducting transition in YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ single crystal by measurements of thermopower. Two transitions were observed in both the ab-plane and the c-direction. The high temperature transition may have a close relation to the surface shell of the crystal.