Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1819586 | Physica C: Superconductivity and its Applications | 2009 | 8 Pages |
Linear damage tracks are created in production-quality YBCO coated conductors by irradiation with 61–74 MeV Ag ions. The ion tracks are observed by transmission electron microscopy to be elongated but discontinuous. The in-field transport critical current (Ic) is enhanced significantly for fields applied parallel to the irradiation direction with a broad peak appearing in the magnetic field-angle dependence of the critical current, coinciding with the irradiation direction. The zero-field Ic is typically reduced somewhat, however annealing at 200 °C partially restores this and enhances the in-field Ic even for field parallel to the irradiation direction. Lower energies tend to produce a weaker peak, but also retain the zero-field Ic to a greater extent, consistent with a trend of greater discontinuity in the ion tracks.