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.     

YBa2Cu3O7-x的金属-绝缘体转变

借助于局域化的标度理论,我们对层状结构系统引进一个由电导各向异性或层间耦合决定的有效维度,认为电导的减小和有效维度的降低是YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x和其它氧化物金属-绝缘体转变的原因,同时也讨论了有限温度的标度理论以解释正常态电阻率的温度行为。 关键词：     

AC losses of YBa2Cu3O7−x high temperature superconductors

AC losses of randomly oriented and oriented grained YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x superconductors having different microstructures and silver content were studied at 77 K and frequency range between 0.5 Hz and 60 Hz. The measurements were made by an electrical technique applying an external sinusoidal magnetic field parallel to the longer axis of the specimen. In the randomly oriented samples, the results indicate that the addition of silver has no effect on the losses of the Y-123 superconductor. Unlike the behavior of the randomly oriented samples, the oriented material does not show grain decoupling and intergranular losses and its behavior is similar to that of conventional type II superconductors. The results also show that the oriented sample has a modest surface barrier against flux entry. In general, it is found that the critical state model can be used to describe the hysteretic dissipation of Y-123 superconductors, although some refinements need to be considered.     

Infrared optical response of YBa2Cu3O7 and PrBa2Cu3O7 An ellipsometric study

Ellipsometry was used to study (110) and (001) oriented films of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ and PrBa₂Cu₃O₇ in the mid-and near-infrared spectral regions. Below a photon energy of 0.1 eV, the in-plane component of the dielectric tensor of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ is dominated by a Drude term with a squared plasma energy of (3.0 ± 0.3) eV². This “oscillator strength”, and the Lorentzian broadening energy of (0.104 ± 0.005) eV at room temperature, are confirmed by the changes induced in Pr-substituted material, and by low-temperature measurements in the near-infrared. The deviation from the Drude behavior observed above 0.1 eV is accounted for by a broad absorption band with an oscillator strength of (3.6 ± 0.1) eV² in YBa₂Cu₃O₇ which shifts to higher energies and takes over almost all of the oscillator strength of the Drude term when Y is substituted by Pr. The response to electric fields perpendicular to the planes is much weaker, with an upper bound of 0.63 eV² for the squared plasma energy. The in-plane loss function computed from the measured dielectric function follows the Drude-like lineshape, modified by the bound-state absorption band, down to the lowest energy reached in our measurements (0.058 eV).     

Vortex pinning in YBa2Cu3O7?x films

Evidence that pinning on linear or planar defects dominates the vortex dynamics in YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x (YBCO) films is provided by complex impedance measurements at temperature 8 K<T<T _c and magnetic field 0<B<6 T. Below the vortex lattice melting transition B_g(T) but above a threshold field B_p≈8(1-T/T _c ) T, the inductance of vortices increases as B², much less rapidly than predicted for collective pinning of vortices by point defects. Above the vortex melting line, critical scaling persists over the region B_g(T<B<B^*(T) where the vortex correlation length ξ exceeds a characteristic length scale ξ^*≡ξ(B=B^*)≈450?. The value of ξ^* is not sensitive to Al-doping in the Cu sites in the lattice and is close to the size of twin domains in the film. The nature of the observed crossovers is discussed in terms of available theoretical models for a glass-liquid transition at B_g.     

Pinning potential of stacking fault-related dislocations in YBa2Cu3O7

The pinning potential of the 031 type dislocation has been calculated. This dislocation bounds the excess Cu---O layer defect commonly observed in YBa₂Cu₃O₇. It was found that there is a strong pinning anisotropy between edge dislocations lying along [100] and [010]. For the former, a repulsive potential of about 30 meV is found, while the latter exhibits an attractive interaction of less than this magnitude. This potential is short-range (about 2ξ), indicating that these dislocations would act as distributed point-like pinning sites.     

Suppression of antiferromagnetic spin fluctuation in Zn-substituted YBa2Cu3O7

We have prepared Zn-substituted YBa₂Cu_3−xZn_xO₇ (YBCO, x=0.0–0.09) and performed ^63,65Cu nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) measurements for the plane site at 300 and 100 K as a function of Zn concentration. The substitutional effects are observed in resonant frequencies and linewidths of spectra, and relaxation times as well as in the superconducting transition temperature. The spin–lattice relaxation rate 1/T₁ is reduced for the higher Zn concentration and the reduction is more significant at 100 K. The ratio of ^63,65Cu spin–lattice relaxation rates suggests that a magnetic contribution due to the antiferromagnetic spin fluctuation becomes weak as the Zn concentration increases. These effects confirm that the antiferromagnetic spin fluctuation of Cu 3d spins is suppressed by the Zn substitution due to the absence of local moment at the zinc site.     

Phase diagram for stripes in YBa2Cu3O6+x superconductors

Neutron scattering has been used to measure the charge and spin structure in the YBa₂Cu₃O_6+x superconductors. Incommensurate static charge ordering is found at low doping levels while only charge fluctuations are found at higher doping. The spin structure is complex with both a commensurate resonance and incommensurate structure observed at low temperatures. The scattering results are used to construct a phase diagram for stripes in the YBa₂Cu₃O_6+x system.     

YBa2Cu3O7-δ熔融织构样品的磁响应研究

对YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ熔融织构样品在不同温度、不同磁场不同外场扫描速率下进行了磁滞回线测量,获得了电流密度J(T,B),lnE-lnJ曲线以及热激活能U₀(T,B)随温度、磁场的变化关系,从而分析了该样品磁响应特性,特别是第二峰(简称峰)受外场扫描速率的影响,探讨了峰形成的真正原因,以及影响峰位置、大小的各种因素 关键词： 磁响应 熔融织构 峰效应 临界电流密度     

TEM investigation of YBa2Cu3O7 thin films on SrTiO3 bicrystals

YBa₂Cu₃O₇ films in c-axis orientation on bicrystalline SrTiO₃ substrates are investigated by TEM. The films and the substrates are examined in cross-section and in plane view. The grain boundary of the bicrystal substrate contains (110) faceted voids, but is otherwise straight on a nanometer scale. Contrary to this, the film grain boundary is not straight grain boundary can be up to 100 nm for a 100 nm thick film. The deviation from the intended position of the YBCO grain boundary can already occur at the film/substrate interface where it can be as much as ±50 nm.     

YBa2Cu3O7-δ外延膜中的非线性光响应

实验结果表明，在连续波He-Ne激光(λ=0.63μm)照射下，YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ(YBCO)外延膜在超导转变温度T_c以下附近温区的光响应行为，表现为辐射热效应和非辐射热效应同时存在，尤其当样品的R-T变化率dR/dT→0温区明显地表现为一种非平衡光响应行为，且随电流的变化呈非线性关系.基于上述实验事实，在光致准粒子激发假设下，对T_c附近YBCO薄膜中的非线性光响应机制进行了讨论；给出了光辐射 关键词：     

DETERMINATION OF THE OXYGEN CONTENT IN YBa2Cu3O7-y FILMS

A method for determination of the oxygen content (y) in YBa₂Cu₃O_7-y films has been established, in which the lattice conetant difference (b-a) of the films was measured and used to fit the function of (b-a) vs y for the experimental data of bulk YBaaCuaO?-y given in the literature. It is suggested that the function of (b-a) vs y can indeed be used in the case of film. In this process the twin structure of the YBa₂Cu₃O_7-y films was used.     

YBa2Cu3O7-xc轴方向临界电流的测定

本文测量了熔化织构法生长(MTG)的和通常烧结法制备的YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x块状样品的传输临界电流密度T_c以及磁场-样品不同取向的磁滞回线。MTG样品的J_c在78K和零场时达到3.5×10⁴A/cm²,实验提供了有力的证据表明如此高的J_c主要是由于块状样品内弱连接的消除,因为MTG块状样品的整体J_c与烧结样品颗 关键词：     

Non-collinear vortex states in twinned YBa2Cu3O7?δ single crystals

The magnetic moments parallel and perpendicular to thec-axis (measured simultaneously) have been studied as a function of direction of applied magnetic fieldH in twinned and de-twinned YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ single crystals. They show pronounced anomalies when the field direction approaches thec-axis. These allow clear identification of the angle ϕ_L at which vortices are locked into twin planes. Complete shielding of theH _ab field component (transverse Meissner effect) was observed in the locked state. For larger angles, up to ϕ_T, the vortices continue to be non-collinear with the applied field, but their direction deviates from the trapping plane. ϕ_L exhibits a 1/H field-dependence, whereas ϕ_T shows only weak logarithmic variations withH.     

Residual surface stress measurements in YBa2Cu3Ox superconductors

XRD and residual surface stress (sin² ψ) measurements were carried out on YBa₂Cu₃O_x superconductors with varying oxygen stoichiometry (6.3 < x < 7.0). Slopes of the surface strain versus sin² ψ were plotted against oxygen content for certain reflections. Compressional surface stress has been found along the c-axis, while a tensile surface stress has been observed along the ab-plane. Both surface stresses were found to vary slightly with oxygen content. These findings qualitatively agree with a very small hydrostatic pressure effect on T_c for fully oxygenated YBa₂Cu₃O_x (x = 7) compared to oxygen deficient material at the surface.     

GROWTH MODE OF Cu-RICH PARTICLES ON LASER-ABLATED YBa2Cu3O7 THIN FILMS

The microstructure of the laser-ablated YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (YBCO) thin film deposited on heated (100) SrTiO₃ substrate was examined by transmission electron microscope. The par-ticles on the film mainly consist of CuO and few CuYO₂. Most of these non-superconducting particles nucleate on or near the surface of the film and protrude about 100-400 nm in height, A large amount of a-axis YBCO grains also exist in the film, which nucleate at the substrate surface and grow perpendicularly above the c-axis YBCO film. The YBCO thin film deposited under low oxygen pressure has very different microstructure compared with YBCO thin film deposited under high oxygen pressure.     

正交和四方YBa2Cu3O7-x的热膨胀系数

用电容法测量了正交和四方YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x的热膨胀系数与温度的关系。结果表明,正交样品在205K附近,四方样品在92—130K之间热膨胀系数有异常。估计前者可能与晶格的不稳定性有关,说明具有较强的电-声子相互作用,后者可能与结构转变有关,因此破坏了高温超导电性。同时也发现正交样品在92K热膨胀系数有微小跳跃。由此估计了压力效应 关键词：     

YBa2Cu3O7-δ外延薄膜的有效钉扎势

在0—7T磁场范围内，测量了不同测量电流密度下YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ外延薄膜的电阻温度关系.实验结果表明，临界温度以下，混合态的耗散电阻率能很好地用热激活磁通蠕动描述.有效钉扎势的电流密度关系遵守Zeldov等人提出的对数关系，有效钉扎势的温度和磁场关系遵守U∝(1-T/T_c)H^-α关系，其中α=0.63，与热激活磁通点阵位错运动模型相一致，表明样品具有2D涡旋性质. 关键词：     

Plane-chain coupling in YBa2Cu3O7: temperature dependence of the penetration depth

We have studied the penetration depth for a model of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ involving pairing, both in the CuO₂ planes and in the CuO chains. In this model pairing in the planes is due to an attractive interaction, while Coulomb repulsion induces in the chains an order parameter with opposite sign. Due to the anti-crossing produced by hybridization between planes and chains, one obtains a d-wave like order parameter which changes sign on a single sheet of the Fermi surface and has nodes in the gap. We find that our model accounts quite well for the anisotropy of the penetration depth and for the absolute values. We reproduce fairly well the whole temperature dependence for both the a- and the b-directions, including the linear dependence at low temperature. We use a set of parameters which are all quite reasonable physically. Our results for the c-direction are also satisfactory, although the situation is less clear both experimentally and theoretically.     

A1 g phonons in YBa2Cu3O7 by first-principles atomic-force calculations

We report on ab-initio frozen-phonon calculations for the five A_1g Raman-active-modes of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ atq=0. The determination of the equilibrium positions of the atoms Ba, Cu(2), O(2), O(3), O(4) as well as of phonon frequencies and respective eigenvectors is based on the calculation of atomic forces within the LAPW-method. The general agreement between our results and experimental structural data and phonon frequencies is good. Deviations are discussed in connection with the local-density approximation.