Enhanced transition temperature in a quantum confined high-T_c superconductor

Authors

L. Menon, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
D. Yu, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Yi Liu, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
B. Jayaram, University of Nebraska–Omaha

Date of this Version

2-20-2001

Comments

Published in Solid State Communications 117:10 (February 20, 2001), pp. 615–620; doi 10.1016/S0038-1098(00)00508-1 Copyright © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. Used by permission. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00381098

Abstract

A slight enhancement of the onset transition temperature T_c has been observed in quantum dots of the high-T_c superconductor yttrium–barium–copper oxide (Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7-δ). The dots were formed when YBCO particles (diameter ≤600 nm) were exposed to an RF plasma to produce a Coulomb crystal. The plasma damages the particles and causes 20–25 nm sized isolated islands of the correct 1-2-3 stoichiometry to segregate within each particle. We believe that quantum confinement of carriers within these islands leads to discretization of the quasi-particle density-of-states which can account for the slight increase in the transition temperature.