Ion Beam Modification of High-Tc Superconductors

Abstract

ABSTRACTIon irradiation and implantation experiments of high temperature superconductors (HTSC) thin films resulted in many interesting effects. Among those are: (i) the superlinear increase of the resistivity, p, with ion fluence, φ, leading to a metal to insulator transformation, (ii) the large recovery above 150 K of the radiation induced changes of ρ and Tc observed in low temperature irradiation experiments, and (iii) the large structural changes such as the increase of the c-axis lattice parameter with φ, the radiation induced orthorhombic to tetragonal phase transition, and the amorphization. Displaced oxygen atoms play an important role for the observed property changes.