High temperature superconducting materials are currently utilised to generate
the magnetic fields required for the confinement of plasma in fusion reactors.
The present study aims to assess the microstructural degradation resulting from
ion implantation at room temperature with 2 MeV Xe+ ions to a total fluence of
1 x 1016 ions/cm2 in Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBCO) using high-resolution
characterisation techniques. Atom Probe Tomography (APT) and Transmission
Electron Microscopy (TEM) analyses were performed and correlated with
alterations in superconducting behaviour measured using a Magnetic Properties
Measurement System (MPMS). TEM analysis was performed to depth-profile the
degree of crystallinity on irradiated samples. The maximum-damage layer was
found 800 nm below the sample surface. Ion implantation caused the
superconducting temperature to decrease by 10 K and the critical current
density to display a 10-fold reduction.