Structural defects induced by heavy-ion irradiation in superconducting oxides
We studied the the structure and properties of high Tc superconductors using heavy ions. While irradiation of YBa2Cu3O7-δ (hereafter denoted as 123) with 300 MeV Au+24 and 276 MeV Ag+21 ions produces columns of amorphous tracks along the ion trajectories, such defects are only created occasionally during irradiation with 236 MeV Cu+18, and are not induced with 182 MeV Si+13. A comprehensive electron microscopy study of defect formation in Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox, and in oxygen-reduced and ozone-treated 123, shows that the degree of radiation damage (the size and the shape of the defect) by the heavy ions depends on: (a) the rate at which ions lose their energy in the target; (b) crystallographic orientations with respect to the incident ion-beam (Fig.1); (c) thermal conductivity and chemical state (eg. oxygen concentration of 123) of the sample, and (d) the extent of pre-existing defects in the crystal. Calculation and simulation of the strain contrast surrounding the amorphous column using two-beam dynamical theory agree well with the observations and suggest that the reduced hole density observed in the crystal near the amorphous region is mainly due to lattice distortion.