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The electric and magnetic properties of microbridges made from 440 nm thick Y–Ba–Cu–O films prepared on Al2O3 substrates with CeO2 sublayers by the pulsed injection metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method were studied in temperatures ranging from 20 K to 300 K in order to investigate the possibilities of using these microbridges as fast fault current limiters. The application of an external magnetic field () causes the flux flow induced magneto-resistive effect, which is proportional to and to at low and high temperatures, respectively. The experimentally obtained S-shaped I–V characteristic and the change of the microbridge resistance over time when affected by a step-like magnetic field can be well explained using a thermo-electrical model based on Joule heating and the flux flow nature of the resistive state (RS). The transition from the superconducting to the RS, studied using ns duration rectangular waveform electrical pulses able to create up to ≈2106 A cm−2 current densities without rises of microbridge temperatures, demonstrated that the I–V characteristics of the RSs consisting of an assembly of straight lines corresponding to the different pinning centers. At temperatures close to the critical temperature of superconductivity, the number of these lines increases, and the I–V characteristics can be described with high accuracy by a power law. It was concluded that microbridges made from these films can be used as protectors against complicated waveform electromagnetic pulses having short rise times, high voltage peak amplitudes and long low-value over-current 'tails'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase switching in GeTe thin films (grown using a modified metal organic chemical vapor deposition system) upon pulsed femtosecond and nanosecond laser irradiation has been studied. Two in situ methods, i.e., optical microscopy and real-time reflectivity measurements, have been used in order to compare the optical response before and after phase change and to follow the phase change dynamics with a time resolution close to 400 ps. The results show that cycling is possible under irradiation with both fs and ns pulses using single pulses for amorphization and multiple pulses for crystallization. The use of ns pulses favors the crystalline-to-amorphous phase transformation, with a characteristic transformation time of ∼15 ns. The presence of the liquid phase was identified and temporally resolved, featuring a well-defined transient reflectivity state, in between those of the crystalline and amorphous phases. We have also studied the role of material configuration in the phase change dynamics and the mechanisms involved in the re-crystallization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase changes between amorphous and crystallized states were induced by laser irradiation with nanosecond pulses in GexTey films grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The different phases were obtained by adjusting the pulse energy and could be distinguished by their different optical reflectivities. The corresponding structural changes were studied by Raman spectroscopy, showing marked differences for the two phases. A clear correlation is found between optical reflectivity levels, crystallographic state and the evolution of Ge–Ge, Te–Te, and Ge–Te Raman bands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High quality epitaxial La1−xSrxMnO3 films were deposited by pulsed injection metal organic chemical vapor deposition, using as precursor materials metal-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptandionates dissolved in monoglyme. The influence of various deposition conditions, substrate material and film thickness on film properties was investigated. The best films were deposited on LaAlO3 substrates at 825 °C: films exhibited a sharp semiconductor–metal transition and high magnetoresistance (∼40%) at a close-to-room temperature and in a rather low field of 1.5 T. In-situ or ex-situ high-temperature annealing in oxygen increased the temperature of semiconductor–metal transition, but decreased the magnetoresistance and the temperature coefficient of resistance. Biaxial strain imposed by the lattices’ mismatch was clearly observed in thinner La1−xSrxMnO3 films on perovskite substrates. Tensile strain was present in the films on SrTiO3 and compressive strain in the films on LaAlO3 (and less clearly on NdGaO3). Both tensile and compressive strains decreased the temperature of electric transition and the values of magnetoresistance. The strain was completely relaxed in the films more than ∼100 nm thick. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A mixed state in dc-biased thin films of II-type superconductors realizes the Abrikosov magnetic vortices/ antivortices, which are the result of the current-self magnetic field penetration into the film at temperatures lower than its critical temperature Tc. A nucleation of vortices/antivortices at the superconducting film's edges, their motion perpendicular to the direction of biasing current, and the annihilation in the film's center originates from a current dissipation in the superconductor and expresses itself in experiments as a dc voltage. This work reports on the results of simulation of current density in a 50 μm wide, 100 μm long, and 0.3 μm thick YBa2Cu3O7-x microbridges containing ¦-shaped 5 μm wide single channel of easy vortex motion fabricated by means of laser-writing technique. Analyzing a two-dimensional-net of resistors and assuming that, due to the Meissner-Ochsenfeld effect, the magnetic flux penetration into superconducting film is nonlinear, we demonstrate that presence of a ¦-shaped channel causes a non-homogeneous distribution of current in the microbridge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A current-self-induced magnetic field Hj , such that Hc1 < Hj < Hc2 at T < Tc, penetrates a thin-film, type-II superconductor forming the Abrikosov magnetic vortex-antivortex pairs in the film's areas of weakest superconductivity. Our atomic force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy images confirm that in 50 μm wide, 100 μm long and 0.3 μm thick YBa2Cu3O7-x superconducting devices magnetic flux penetrates first into a 5 μm wide, ¦-shaped and partially deoxygenated (x ≈ 0:2) channel for easy vortex motion. When the Lorentz force overcomes pinning force in the channel, the flux starts to move and its drift dissipates energy inducing dc voltage. This work reports on the density of coherently moving vortices along the channel vs. temperature in range from 0:93Tc to 0:97Tc. Our simulations show that the vortex density vs. temperature dependence extracted from I-V measurements of our devices follows the temperature dependence of magnetic field penetration depth and the coherence length of the superconductor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vortex dynamics in laser-patterned channels for easy motion in YBa2Cu3O7-δ thin-film bridges has been investigated by electric transport and magneto-optical measurements. It has been found that the laser-writing technique, relying on selective deoxygenation of the illuminated areas of YBa2Cu3O7-δ films, enables manufacturing of channels with the decreased field of the first penetration and pinning strength. Current-induced vortices confined in such channels move coherently within a limited temperature and bias ranges. Coherence in vortex motion was confirmed by the direct observation of self-resonant, Josephson-like current steps on the bridge current-voltage characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-power ultrafast superconducting switch (SCS) was made of an optically thick YBa2Cu3O7 superconducting film (zero resistance critical temperature Tc∼90 K and the critical current density Jc∼106 A/cm2 at T=78 K). The switch was biased with a 70-ns-pulsed supercritical current I∼2Ic (Ic is the critical current of the superconductor), which created a flux-flow state in the film, and synchronously activated with a 14-ps-optical pulse, which transferred the switch into the normal (resistive) state. It was found that the risetime, falltime, and duration of optically induced voltage transients depended on the optical pulse energy, time of heat diffusion from an optical hot spot, and the bias current dissipation in the optically activated part of the superconductor. The transient risetime consisted of the fast (less than 0.1 ns) and slow (tens of ns) components with the amplitudes dependent on laser fluence. The YBa2Cu3O7 SCS, biased with nanosecond-pulsed supercritical currents and triggered with picosecond-optical-pulses, can be used for excitation of pulsed-antennas which radiate high-power, ultra-wide-frequency-band, and jitter-free signals in gigahertz frequency range. Practical limits of high-power optically triggered YBa2Cu3O7 superconducting switches are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Perovskite-type La:BaSnO 3 (LBSO) has been drawing considerable attention due to its high electron mobility and optical transparency. Its thin film electrical properties, however, remain inferior to those of single crystals. This work investigates the thermal post-treatment process of films deposited using the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition method to improve the electrical properties of different stoichiometry films, and demonstrates the modification of thin film's structural properties using short and excessive annealing durations in vacuum conditions. Using vacuum post-treatment, we demonstrate the improvement of electrical properties in Ba-rich, near-stoichiometric, and Sn-rich samples with a maximum electron mobility of 116 cm 2 V -1 s -1 at r.t. However, the improvement of electrical properties causes surface morphology and internal structural changes, which depend on thin film composition. At temperatures of 900 °C-1400 °C the volatile nature of LBSO constituting elements is described, which reveals possible deterioration mechanisms of thin LBSO air. At higher than 1200 °C, LBSO film's decomposition rate increases exponentially. Thin film structure evolution and previously unreported decomposition is demonstrated by Ba and La diffusion to the substrate, and by evaporation of SnO-SnO x species.

The results of colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) properties of La1-xSrxMnyO3 (LSMO) films grown by the pulsed injection MOCVD technique onto an Al2O3 substrate are presented. The grown films with different Sr (0.05 ≤ x ≤ 0.3) and Mn excess (y > 1) concentrations were nanostructured with vertically aligned column-shaped crystallites spread perpendicular to the film plane. It was found that microstructure, resistivity, and magnetoresistive properties of the films strongly depend on the strontium and manganese concentration. All films (including low Sr content) exhibit a metal−insulator transition typical for manganites at a certain temperature, Tm. The Tm vs. Sr content dependence for films with a constant Mn amount has maxima that shift to lower Sr values with the increase in Mn excess in the films. Moreover, the higher the Mn excess concentration in the films, the higher the Tm value obtained. The highest Tm values (270 K) were observed for nanostructured LSMO films with x = 0.17−0.18 and y = 1.15, while the highest low-field magnetoresistance (0.8% at 50 mT) at room temperature (290 K) was achieved for x = 0.3 and y = 1.15. The obtained low-field MR values were relatively high in comparison to those published in the literature results for lanthanum manganite films prepared without additional insulating oxide phases. It can be caused by high Curie temperature (383 K), high saturation magnetization at room temperature (870 emu/cm3), and relatively thin grain boundaries. The obtained results allow to fabricate CMR sensors for low magnetic field measurement at room temperature.