PERCOLATION EFFECTS AND OXYGEN INHOMOGENEITIES IN YBA2CU3O7-DELTA CRYSTALS

TitlePERCOLATION EFFECTS AND OXYGEN INHOMOGENEITIES IN YBA2CU3O7-DELTA CRYSTALS
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication1992
AuthorsOsofsky, M. S., Cohn J. L., Skelton E. F., Miller M. M., Soulen R. J., Wolf S. A., and Vanderah T. A.
JournalPhysical Review B
Volume45
Pagination4916-4922
Abstract

The magnetization curves of YBa2Cu3O7-delta crystals are widely observed to exhibit a pronounced low-field minimum in the temperature range 30 K < T < T(c). We demonstrate that these magnetization anomalies correlate with the c-axis lattice parameter, and hence with the specific oxygen deficiency delta. We interpret this low-field feature in terms of a field-induced decoupling of regions of oxygen-rich material by boundaries of oxygen-poor material, a phenomenon reminiscent of the behavior in granular superconductors. A "phase diagram" that demarcates the multigrain onset as a function of temperature and delta is then constructed. The shape of the "phase boundaries" is described using a percolation model. This analysis demonstrates that magnetization is a very sensitive measure of crystal quality.