Characterisation of radiation damage in perovskite superconductor Yttrium Barium copper oxide

Abstract

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.