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.     

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.     

熔融织构YBa2Cu3O7-δ晶体中磁通涡旋锁定转变反常行为研究

通过改变磁场与c轴方向夹角测量了熔融织构YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ (YBCO)晶体的磁力矩信号响应, 观察到了磁通涡旋系统的锁定(lock-in)转变行为以及锁定转变角正比于外磁场强度的反常现象. 基于Ginzburg-Landau理论和磁通涡旋线Kink结构模型, 对上述锁定转变反常现象进行了分析讨论, 提出了熔融织构YBCO晶体中存在平行于a-b面的延展性关联缺陷结构假设, 导出了锁定转变临界角与温度和磁场之间的关系, 理论分析模型结果与实验测量结果基本符合.     

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     

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：     

Field-induced pinning effect of Nd(Ba1−xNdx)2Cu3O7−δ single crystals grown by the traveling-solvent floating-zone method

We have studied the superconducting properties of Nd(Ba_1−xNd_x)₂Cu₃O_7−δ (Nd123, x ≈ 0.1) single crystals grown by the traveling-solvent floating-zone method under 0.1% O₂ in Ar atmosphere. The enhancement of the magnetization with increasing field is observed in the hysteresis (M-H) loop in fields both parallel and perpendicular to the c-axis of the Nd123 single crystals as well as in the bulk crystals prepared by the oxygen-controlled-melt-growth (OCMG) method. The composition variation of Ba/Nd is observed in the matrix of Nd123 crystals by an analytical TEM equipped with a cold field-emission gun. It turns out that the enhancement is due to the field-induced pinning effect ascribed to the weak superconducting Nd---Ba substitution regions in the Nd123 matrix.     

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.     

Oxygen defects relaxation in high-temperature YBa2Cu3O7 superconductors

The temperature dependences of normal state static magnet susceptibility χ(T) for high-temperature YBa₂Cu₃O₇ superconductors (T _c ≤ T ≤ 400 K) measured for the same sample before and after 22 years of storage are compared. It is shown that during longime storage of a maximally doped sample, its electronic system is more in equilibrium than it was in the initial state, while a similar underdoped sample decomposed completely. Comparing the χ(T) curves for YBa₂Cu₃O₇, we draw conclusions as to the nature of the Curie contribution and the fluctuation-induced contribution to the magnetic susceptibility of the investigated sample, and the experimental procedure for determining T _c.     

Unusual resistivity broadening in the mixed state of NdBa2Cu3O7−δ crystals grown by a crystal-pulling technique

In order to clarify the origin of a strong peak effect in the magnetization curve of NdBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ crystals, we investigated the superconductivity transition behavior of the in-plane resistivity in static magnetic fields up to 8 T. Comparing the results for the samples exhibiting and not exhibiting the peak effect, we found that the former (peak effect sample) shows lower resistivity above the vortex melting temperature. This implies that the pinning force is effective in the vortex liquid state. We also found that the normal state resistivity behaviors of some samples were unusual, indicating inhomogeneous current flow. These results suggest an existence of sheet-like pinning centers perpendicular to the conduction planes.     

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.     

Directional behavior of nuclear quadrupole resonance in YBa2Cu3O6

Powder samples of YBa₂Cu₃O₆ were magnetically aligned and the anisotropies in the systems were studied by means of Cu(1) nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) in the absence of external magnetic fields. Our room temperature measurements of the NQR lineshapes and the spin–lattice and spin–spin relaxation times as a function of the aligning magnetic field indicate that full microscopic alignment can be achieved by using a magnetic field of about 4.7 T, for which doublet line patterns arising from a hyperfine splitting were observed.     

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.     

The effect of duration of diffusion on Ag diffusion coefficients in YBa2Cu3O7

The Ag diffusion in superconducting YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (YBaCuO) ceramic has been studied over the duration of the diffusion range 5-24 h in the temperature range 700-850 °C by the energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) technique. For the excitation of silver atoms, an annular Am-241 radioisotope source (50 mCi) emitting 59.543 keV photons was used. The temperature dependences of silver diffusion coefficients in grains (D₁) and over the grain boundaries in the range 700-850 °C (D₂) are described by the relations D₁=1.4×10⁻² exp[−(1.18±0.10)/kT] and D₂=3.1×10⁻⁴ exp[−(0.87±0.10)/kT].     

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.     

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.     

Zn取代Cu抑制YBa2Cu3O7-y超导电性的机理研究

通过精心制备样品,系统地研究分析YBa₂Cu₃O_7-y体系的超导转变、电阻率、热电势、晶体结构,以及氧含量等随Zn浓度变化的规律。并指出,Zn取代Cu导致CuO面上Cu的数目减少,载流子浓度下降;正是以Zn杂质为中心的正常芯及随之产生的渗流性破坏抑制了YBa₂Cu_3-xO_7-y的超导电性;以Zn杂质散射为基础的渗流超导电性模型与实验结果一致。     

The effect of Ag or Au overlayers on underlying YBa2Cu3O7 thin films

Although Ag and Au are commonly used to provide low-resistance contacts to YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (YBCO), their effect on the electrical properties of the underlying YBCO has been largely neglected. Epitaxial YBCO thin films on LaAlO₃ substrates were used in this study. Thin (50 nm) and thick (1 μm) layers of Ag or Au were deposited as overlayers, and in some cases annealed in oxygen at 550–650°C. Compared to samples with no metal overlayers, for both Ag and Au the normal-state parameters changed (resistivity, its temperature coefficient, and the transition width), whereas the transition temperature and critical current density remained unaltered. These results are encouraging for the use of these metals as contacts and/or conducting overlayers on YBCO.     

Crossover effects and finite-size scaling on the temperature dependence of paraconductivity in YBa2Cu3O6.9 and Bi2Sr2CaCu30x compounds

An investigation into the superconducting order parameter thermodynamic fluctuations and their manifestations on paraconductivity in cuprate superconductors is done using a renormalized Gaussian approach based on the Ginzburg–Landau theory. The temperature dependence of paraconductivity is affected by repulsive interactions between Cooper pairs and does not follow the universal power laws predicted by the conventional Aslamazov–Larkin theory. In addition to the well known Lawrence–Doniach crossover from three to two dimensions, we also highlight the crossover from one-dimensional to two-dimensional behavior and the crossover from weak two-dimensional to strong two-dimensional critical behavior in the vicinity of the critical temperature. These dimensional crossovers result from the resistance between Cooper pairs due to critical and thermal fluctuations which cause a transition from a metastable state to one with a smaller current. Two illustrative examples (the cases of ${\mathrm{YBa}}_2{\mathrm{Cu}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_{6.9}$ and ${\mathrm{Bi}}_2{\mathrm{Sr}}_2\mathrm{Ca}{\mathrm{Cu}}_3{\mathrm{0}}_x$ compounds) are provided in support of the analysis, so as to demonstrate the usefulness of the approach.     

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：