Three ranges of the angular dependence of critical current of BaZrO3 doped YBa2Cu3O7 − δ thin films grown at different temperatures

• Growth temperature (Tdep) dependent pinning structure in YBa2Cu3O7 − δ is revealed.
• Three different regimes of Tdep related to BaZrO3 pinning structure are found.
• A c-axis peak in angular dependence of critical current density Jc at certain Tdep.
• The theoretical vortex path model explains the behavior of angular dependence of Jc.
• The model is in good agreement with structural properties.

The growth of BaZrO3 (BZO) in pulsed laser deposited YBa2Cu3O7 − δ (YBCO) thin films was studied by varying the deposition temperature. It was found that there are three deposition temperature ranges based on the properties of Jc(θ), the angular dependence of critical current density. Samples made at a relatively low temperature (low-T samples) do not show a c-axis peak in Jc(θ) whereas mid-T samples exhibit a peak as B║c-axis of YBCO. In high-T samples the c-peak disappears again. In the low-T samples BZO rods are too splayed and short for a c-axis peak whereas in the high-T samples vortices move along correlated, but shortened rods as well as along stacking faults, which causes the c-axis peak to disappear. The superconducting properties of the films were studied with both magnetic and transport measurements and the structural properties were characterized using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Correlations between the structural and superconducting properties were analyzed using the vortex path model.