Engineering topics

Bajuk, L.

Publications and source records attributed to Bajuk, L..

3 records

NASA NTRS1991

Chemical nature of the barrier in Pb/YBa2Cu3O(7-x) tunneling structures

Several reports of reproducible tunneling measurements on YBa2Cu3O(7-x) thin films or single crystals with a Pb counterelectrode have recently appeared. The nature of the tunnel barrier, formed by air exposure, in these structures has been unknown. In the present work, the chemical nature of the tunnel barrier is studied with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Laser-ablated films grown on LaAlO3 which have been chemically etched and heated in air are found to form nonsuperconducting surface Ba species, evident in an increase of the high binding energy Ba 3d and O 1s signals. A deposited Pb film about 10 A thick is found to be oxidized, and Cu(+2) is partially reduced to Cu(+1). The tunneling barrier thus appears to consist of species resulting from a combination of the air exposure and a reaction between the superconductor and the deposited Pb counterelectrode.

Vasquez, R. P.↗

NASA NTRS1991

YBa2Cu3O(7-x)/Au/Nb device structures

Fabrication and testing of planar and edge geometry YBaCuO/Au/Nb superconductor/normal-metal/superconductor (SNS) device structures is described. Weak-link devices of this type serve as sensitive probes of the electrical quality of the YBaCuO/Au interface. The devices are fabricated using laser-ablated, in situ, c-axis-oriented YBaCuO thin films, with both annealed and unannealed YBaCuO/Au interfaces. The planar SNS structures are formed by sequential, in situ deposition of YBaCuO, Au, and Nb, followed by etching, planarization, and wiring electrode definition to produce junctions ranging from 5 to 20 micron on a side. Resulting RnA products are 1-10 x 10 to the -8th ohm-sq cm with critical current densities up to 5 kA/sq cm. For the edge geometry devices, the YBaCuO film edges are patterned using Ar ion milling, followed by a low energy ion cleaning step and in situ deposition of Au and Nb. Devices with areas in the 10 to the -7th to 10 to the -8th sq cm range have been fabricated with RnA products lower than 10 to the -8th ohm-sq cm and critical current densities up to 3kA/sq cm. Both types of devices show ac Josephson steps under microwave irradiation. The best results have been obtained with annealed YBaCuO/Au interfaces.

Hunt, B. D.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Fast infrared response of YBCO thin films

The response to short infrared pulses of some epitaxial YBCO films prepared by sputter deposition and by electron-beam evaporation is reported. The response is found to be essentially bolometric on the ns timescale, with some indirect hints of nonequilibrium electron transport on the ps scale. Fast switching could be obtained either by biasing the switch close to the critical current or by cooling the film below about 20 K. These results are encouraging for potential application to a high-current optically-triggered opening switch.

Ballentine, P. H.↗