Reduction of the microwave surface resistance in YBCO thin films by microscopic defects

Abstract The impact of microscopic defects upon the microwave properties of high- T c superconductor (HTS) films is examined. YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 films with different size and densities of Y 2 O 3 precipitates are grown on LaAlO 3 and sapphire by variation of the energy of the ions during sputter deposition. It is demonstrated, that the temperature dependence of the microwave surface resistance R s does not depend on the type of substrate material but on the density of the defects. Films grown at low ion energy (resulting in a low density of microscopic defects) show a characteristic shoulder in the R s ( T ) curve which shifts to higher temperature and decreases in size with increasing energy of the ions (i.e. increasing density of microscopic defects). Temperature dependence and reduction of the surface resistance with increasing density of defects are explained in terms of the two-fluid model with thermally excited quasiparticles characterised by a Drude-shaped conductivity spectrum. Values for the scattering rates can be derived from the measurements of the surface resistance, which agree with the classical Matthiesen rule. The impurity scattering rate increases with increasing defect density. Finally, the experimental data and the theoretical model demonstrate, that the surface resistance can be reduced by up to a factor of 2 over a wide temperature range. The reduction of the surface resistance is accompanied by an improvement of the mechanical properties of the HTS thin films which leads to an increased critical film thickness. Both properties, namely the increase of the critical thickness and the reduction of the microwave surface resistance, demonstrate the potential of microscopic defects for improvement of HTS films for applications.