Dynamic investigations on the influence of epitaxial strain on the superconducting transition in YBa2Cu3O7−x

• Published in: Superconductor science & technology 2008-07, Vol.21 (7), p.075020-075020 (4)
• Main Authors: Hühne, R, Okai, D, Dörr, K, Trommler, S, Herklotz, A, Holzapfel, B, Schultz, L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0953-2048; 1361-6668
• DOI: 10.1088/0953-2048/21/7/075020

YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) films have been prepared on piezoelectric (001) Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)0.72Ti0.28O3 (PMN-PT) substrates for dynamic investigations on the influence of strain on the superconducting transition temperature. The YBCO films deposited by off-axis pulsed laser deposition showed a perfect epitaxial growth on the piezocrystals but also significant surface roughness due to the miscut of the substrate. The in-plane lattice constant of the PMN-PT substrate was varied dynamically by the application of an electric field of < =10 kV cm-1. As a result, a reversible shift of the superconducting transition by about 0.1 K was found on an optimally doped YBCO film for an applied strain of 0.05%. The results show for the first time that this approach is suitable for studying the strain dependence of superconducting properties in detail.