The annealing behavior of ion-implanted single crystals of the type YBa2Cu3Ox

Abstract

Recent measurements have shown that the structural disorder induced by the implantation of ions into high-Tc superconducting oxides of the type YBa2Cu3Ox can lead to significant decomposition of the implanted region during subsequent thermal processing. We have used Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and ion channeling to examine the effects of ion implantation and thermal annealing on the near-surface composition of these materials. Our results indicate that the decomposition of the implanted region of YBa2Cu3Ox single crystals is associated with Ba migration and occurs for ion doses above a definite threshold when thermal anneals are carried out at temperatures greater than 500 °C in a..