Self-field reduces critical current density in thick YBCO layers

The engineering current density in YBCO coated conductor applications can be improved in two ways. Either the critical current density should be improved or the superconducting films made thicker. Unfortunately, it has often been observed that the average critical current density decreases when the thickness of films increases. Suggested reasons for this behaviour include e.g. two dimensional pinning properties, microcracks and imperfect crystallographic alignment. However, it is often forgotten that the self-field effect unavoidably reduces the critical current density when the thickness of YBCO films increases and thereby total current rises. In this paper, the influence of self-field on the average critical current density is studied computationally as a function of film thickness. The situation is also scrutinized at different external magnetic fields in order to find ways to distinguish self-field effects from problems related to the manufacturing process. For this purpose, critical current measurements in external field perpendicular to the film surface are proposed.     

Reduction in critical current density of current-induced magnetization switching

We have investigated the current-induced magnetization switching in an exchange-biased spin valve structure. By using an unpatterned antiferromagnetic layer to pin the fixed Co layer, we obtained a lower switching current density by a factor of 5 than a simple spin valve structure. For the application, it is important to know how to keep the spin polarization when the thicker layer is pinned by an antiferromagnet. The unpatterned pinned ferromagnetic lead can be a good solution for spin-transfer-torque-activated device. The effect of Cu buffer layer on the top of the thin Co and Ru buffer layer under the thick Co layer on the current-induced magnetization switching in cobalt-based trilayer spin valves was also investigated. The experimental results showed that the Ru buffer layer in combination with Cu buffer layer could induce a decrease in the critical switching current by 30%, and an increase in the absolute resistance change by 35%, which is caused by an improvement of a microstructure of a thicker Co polarizer.     

Influence of thickness,width and temperature on critical current density of Nb thin film structures

The density of critical currents j_C in Nb thin films with thickness smaller than 15 nm and width between 100 nm and 10 μm has been measured in a wide temperature range. We have found that the temperature dependencies of j_C in sub-micrometer wide bridges at 0.7T_C < T < T_C are well described by the Ginzburg–Landau de-pairing critical current. In wider bridges already at T < 0.9T_C the j_C value is significantly reduced due to the penetration and de-pinning of magnetic vortices.     

Improved critical current density in Zn doped YBCO single crystals

Magnetic measurements were made using pure YBCO and Zn doped YBa₂(Cu_1?xZn_x)₃O_7?σ. Single crystals with Zn concentration of 0.5%, 1.5%, 3.0% and 4.3%. The magnetic hysteresis loops for these samples were measured in the temperature range 0.1 ? T/T_c ? 0.96 under magnetic fields of 5 T using SQUID. It was found that the critical current density J_c increased for low Zn content samples up to 3% Zn concentration compared to pure YBCO sample and decreased for the higher Zn content samples. These values varied consistently when compared at magnetic fields of 1 T and 3 T. Moreover Zn doped samples showed significant values of J_c in the temperature range of 0.7–0.9T_c, close to critical temperature compared to pure YBCO sample. The irreversibility field H_irr was also enhanced in this temperature range showing consistent decrease with increase of Zn concentration. The peak field H_p above H_c1 and irreversibility field H_irr, both show power law dependence of the form H = m₁(1 ? T/T_c)^m2 in the temperature range of 0.75–0.96T_c. The values of parameter m₂ increased from 1.44 to 1.95 for the samples up to 3% Zn content and decreased to 1.37 for higher Zn contents. The ratio H_irr/H_p was found to be 3–4 for the lower Zn content samples and was 7–8 for the sample with high Zn content indicating more disorder for higher Zn content samples. The region between peak field H_p and irreversibility field H_irr was broadened with the increase of Zn concentration. The strong effect of Zn substitution in modifying behavior of these samples even at elevated temperatures is possibly due to the changes in the anisotropy of our samples with the increase of Zn concentration and also due to the locally induced changes in magnetic moments by Zn substitution.     

Sudden critical current drops induced in S/F structures

In the search for new physical properties of S/F structures, we have found that the superconductor critical current can be controlled by the domain state of the neighboring ferromagnet. The superconductor is a thin wire of thickness d_s ≈2ξ_S. Nb/Co and Nb/Py (Permalloy Ni₈₀Fe₂₀) bilayer structures were grown with a significant magnetic anisotropy. Critical current measurements of Nb/Co structures with ferromagnet thickness d_F > 30 nm show sudden drops in two very defined steps when the measurements are made along the hard axes direction (i.e. current track parallel to hard anisotropy axes direction). These drops disappear when they are made along the easy axis direction or when the ferromagnet thickness is below 30 nm. The drops are accompanied by vortex flux flow. In addition magnetorestistance measurements close to T_C show a sharp increase near saturation fields of the ferromagnet. Similar results are reproduced in Nb/Py bilayer structure with the ferromagnet thickness d_F ~ 50 nm along the easy anisotropy axes. These results are explained as being due to spontaneous vortex formation and flow induced by Bloch domain walls of the ferromagnet underneath. We argue these Bloch domain walls produce a 2D vortex-antivortex lattice structure.     

Temperature dependence of the critical current density in Y-Ba-Cu-O thin films

We present a study of the temperature dependence of the critical currentJ _c of several dc magnetron sputtered thin Y-Ba-Cu-O films on single crystalline SrTiO₃, ZrO₂ and Al₂O₃ substrates. Near the critical temperature T_c it is found thatJ _c(1–T/T_c)ⁿ withn=3 for the SrTiO₃ and ZrO₂ substrates, whilen=1·3 for the Al₂O₃ substrate. The temperature dependence in our samples approximately agrees with standard theories for weak links or with the Ambegaokar-Baratoff equation.     

Enhancement of the critical current density in YBCO/Ag composites

YBa₂Cu₃O_7 + xAg?(x = 0.0, ?5.0, ?15.0 and 20 wt%) composite samples have been prepared by the solid state reaction method. The changes in structure are confirmed from the X-ray diffraction analysis and SEM measurements. The critical current density is calculated using Bean's formula from the magnetization measurement. We find that the addition of silver in YBCO enhances the critical current density (?J_C) by a factor of nearly six (for 15% Ag) in comparison to pure YBCO. Enhancement of the pinning force (F_P) by a factor of ten is also reported. The enhancement in ?J_C is investigated over a wide range of magnetic fields. These significant changes in ?J_C and F_P are attributed to the presence of Ag particles as efficient artifical pinning centers in YBCO.     

Superfluid density and critical current density in superconducting cuprates with an extended d-wave pairing symmetry

The European Physical Journal B - We propose a novel dynamic link weight adjustment model, in which link weights on static network will be dynamically adjusted according to agents’ influence...     

Theory of the quantum critical fluctuations in cuprate superconductors

The statistical mechanics of the time-reversal and inversion symmetry breaking order parameter, possibly observed in the pseudogap region of the phase diagram of the cuprates, can be represented by the Ashkin-Teller model. We add kinetic energy and dissipation to the model for a quantum generalization and show that the spectrum of the quantum-critical fluctuations is of the form postulated in 1989 to give the marginal Fermi-liquid properties. The model solved and the methods devised are likely to be of interest also to other quantum phase transitions.     

Reconstruction of critical current density profiles from AC loss measurements

A method of reconstruction of critical current profiles from measurements of a hysteretic AC loss is proposed. As an example, we have applied this approach to study the degradation in the bulk melt-textured HTS sample with a resonance oscillations technique developed earlier for granular HTS samples and now modified to study HTS bulks. The critical current density profile was determined after the degradation in the thin undersurface layer of about 60 μm.     

大电流密度碳纳米管场致发射阴极阵列的研制

 设计了一种由TiN，Al，Fe和牺牲层构成的堆栈式催化剂层结构，采用微波等离子体化学气相沉积法实现碳纳米管阵列高速笔直生长。SEM和TEM结果表明，生长出来的碳纳米管为典型的多壁碳纳米管，长度和直径均匀，排列整齐并垂直于基底，生长速率大于5 μm/min，晶格缺陷少。场致发射测试结果表明：碳纳米管的发射阵列具有良好的电流发射稳定性，最大电流密度大于6 A/cm2。紫外光电子能谱法（UPS）测试出碳纳米管的功函数为4.59 eV，则相应的场致发射陈列的场增强因子大于1 400。     

高温超导薄膜临界电流密度的无损测量研究

临界电流密度Jc是超导薄膜的一个重要参量,它可以衡量超导薄膜的功率承载能力。大面积高温超导薄膜制成后,其Jc需要被无损精确测量。文中提出了一种新的交流磁场下的高温超导薄膜临界态模型:(1)基于此模型对薄膜的临界电流密度进行了精确无损测量;(2)并将实验测量的三次谐波电压曲线进行拟合研究。首先,根据麦克斯韦方程和伦敦方程,计算外加直流磁场超导薄膜Meissner态下电流和磁场在薄膜内的分布;然后分析薄膜进入临界态后内部电流的变化,在考虑顶扎力作用的情况下,提出了临界态电流和磁场非均匀分布模型;最后根据其模型,推导出三次谐波电压的表达式。为了验证该理论,分别对四片超导薄膜在不同频率下进行了三次谐波和临界电流密度测量。实验结果表明:三次谐波电压的理论与实验曲线一致;与四点传输法的测量结果相比较,该方法测量超导薄膜临界电流密度的误差在5%左右,具有高精度、无损伤、方便快捷等优点。     

Effects of surface damage on critical current density in MgB2 thin films

We investigated the influence of surface damage on the critical current density (J_c) of MgB₂ thin films via 140-keV Co-ion irradiation. The J_c(H) of the surface-damaged MgB₂ films was remarkably improved in comparison with that of pristine films. The strong enhancement of J_c(H) caused by a surface damage in MgB₂ films can be ascribed to additional point defects along with an atomic lattice displacement introduced through low-energy Co-ion irradiation, which is consistent with the change in the pinning mechanism, from weak collective pinning to strong plastic pinning. The irreversible magnetic field (H_irr) at 5 K for surface-damaged MgB₂ films with a thickness of 850 and 1300 nm was increased by a factor of approximately 2 compared with that of a pristine film. These results show that the surface damage produced by low energy ion irradiation can serve as an effective pinning source to improve J_c(H) in a MgB₂ superconductor.     

The effect of interlayer coupling on critical current density in Bi2212 system

The dependences of critical current density J _c on the interlayer coupling strength and magnetic field in Bi2212 crystals were obtained by measuring the magnetic loop of the crystals with different interlayer coupling strengths. It was revealed that J _c decreases with the decrease in the interlayer coupling of the crystals. The relation of J _{c ∞ exp} (−H ^β) was also found in the crystals, and further analysis indicated that it was the result of Zeldov pinning potential model. __________ Translated from Chinese Journal of Low Temperature Physics, 2005, 27(1) (in Chinese)