Evolution of Critical Current Density under Magnetic Field in Low-Energy Ar Ion Irradiated MOD-YBCO Thin Films

doi:10.15541/jim20260257

Abstract

Abstract: High in-field critical current density (J_c) is essential for practical applications of second-generation high-temperature superconducting coated conductors. In the present work, 1.2 MeV-Ar ions irradiation was employed to modify YBa₂Cu₃O_7-_d (YBCO) superconductors prepared via the metal-organic deposition (MOD) method. The effects of irradiation fluence on the internal texture and superconducting properties of YBCO films were systematically investigated, and the regulatory effect of annealing treatment on the critical current density of irradiated samples was also explored. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results demonstrated that the intensity of YBCO(005) /MgO diffraction peak first increased and then decreased with rising irradiation fluence, whereas no obvious expansion of the c-axis lattice parameters was observed. Electrical measurements showed that irradiated samples possessed higher in-field J_c than pristine samples under B>1 T and T<30 K. At 10 K and 6.5 T, an irradiation fluence of 5×10¹¹ ions/cm² obtained a greater enhancement of J_c than other two fluences, reaching 6.5 MA/cm² with a maximum enhancement factor of 2.3. The J_c enhancement induced by Ar ion irradiation varied significantly with temperature, demonstrating the strong temperature dependence of optimum irradiation fluence. Annealing experiments indicated that fluence above 7×10¹¹ ions/cm² may produce severe amorphous defects, which cannot transform back into superconducting phases after annealing and therefore degrade low-temperature J_c. This study may provide a reference for defect-engineering optimization of YBCO superconducting tapes for various application scenarios such as controlled nuclear-fusion facilities.

Key words: Ar ion irradiation, YBCO thin film, MOD method, critical current density

CLC Number:

TQ174

DOU Wenzhi, ZHANG Ning, LIU Zhiyong, HUANG Rongtie, CHEN Jing, ZHAN Xinliang, LIU Li, ZHOU Difan, GUO Yanqun, CAI Chuanbing. Evolution of Critical Current Density under Magnetic Field in Low-Energy Ar Ion Irradiated MOD-YBCO Thin Films[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, DOI: 10.15541/jim20260257.

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