Systematic Modification of Electrical and Superconducting Properties of YBCO and Nano-Patterning of High-Tc Superconducting Thin Films by Light-Ion Irradiation

Irradiation of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) YBa2Cu3O7-d (YBCO) thin films with 75 keV He+ ions leads to a quasi-exponential increase of the in-plane (ρab) and the out-of-plane (ρc) resistivity in the normal state and to a non-linear decrease of the critical temperature Tc with ion dose. In situ electrical measurements at room temperature reveal an irradiation-induced reduction of resistivity anisotropy ρc/ρab and a slight relaxation of film resistivity after the ion irradiation is stopped. Ex situ measurements show a stretched-exponential relaxation of Tc and normal state resistivity that continues for several weeks after the ion irradiation. Irradiation of YBCO thin films by low-energy He+ ions through stencil masks results in local modification of the electrical and superconducting properties of the HTS material. We demonstrate that masked ion-beam lithography enables to produce structures smaller than 100 nm in size that have potential for applications in future superconducting nano-electronics.