Increased flux pinning in YBa2Cu3O7−δ thin-film devices through embedding of Au nano crystals

C. Katzer; M. Schmidt; P. Michalowski; D. Kuhwald; F. Schmidl; V. Grosse; S. Treiber; C. Stahl; J. Albrecht; U. Hübner; A. Undisz; M. Rettenmayr; G. Schütz; P. Seidel

doi:10.1209/0295-5075/95/68005

All issues

Volume 95 / No 6 (September 2011)

EPL, 95 6 (2011) 68005

Abstract

Issue		EPL Volume 95, Number 6, September 2011


Article Number		68005
Number of page(s)		6
Section		Interdisciplinary Physics and Related Areas of Science and Technology
DOI		https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/95/68005
Published online		08 September 2011

EPL, 95 (2011) 68005

Increased flux pinning in YBa₂Cu₃O₇−δ thin-film devices through embedding of Au nano crystals

C. Katzer¹^a, M. Schmidt¹, P. Michalowski¹, D. Kuhwald¹, F. Schmidl¹, V. Grosse¹, S. Treiber², C. Stahl², J. Albrecht³, U. Hübner⁴, A. Undisz⁵, M. Rettenmayr⁵, G. Schütz² and P. Seidel¹

¹ Institut für Festkörperphysik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena - Helmholtzweg 5, D-07743 Jena, Germany, EU
² Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme - Heisenbergstrasse 3, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany, EU
³ Hochschule Aalen - Beethovenstrasse 1, D-73430 Aalen, Germany, EU
⁴ Institute of Photonic Technology - Albert-Einstein-Strasse 9, D-07745 Jena, Germany, EU
⁵ Institut für Materialwissenschaft und Werkstofftechnologie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena Löbdergraben 32, D-07743 Jena, Germany, EU

^a christian.katzer@uni-jena.de

Received: 16 June 2011
Accepted: 5 August 2011

Abstract

We prepared direct-current superconducting quantum interference device (dc-SQUID) gradiometers consisting of a single YBa₂Cu₃O_{7- δ} (YBCO) layer on SrTiO₃ (STO) bicrystal substrates. The superconducting thin film was modified by embedding crystalline gold nanoparticles. We investigated the growth conditions of these particles as well as their influence on the properties of the YBCO thin film. In our magneto-optical measurements we found that the presence of embedded nano crystals results in a distinct enhancement of j_c over the whole investigated temperature range. We attribute the higher critical current density to an increased pinning, which also results in a reduction of the flux noise of our investigated gradiometers.

PACS: 85.25.Dq – Superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) / 74.25.Sv – Critical currents / 74.25.Wx – Vortex pinning (includes mechanisms and flux creep)

© EPLA, 2011

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