Effects of radiation damage in ion-implanted thin films of metal-oxide superconductors

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Abstract
The effects of ion implantation into thin films of the superconductor YBa2Cu3Ox have been studied. Using oxygen and arsenic ions, the superconducting transition temperature Tc, the change in room-temperature electrical properties from conducting to insulating, and the crystalline to amorphous structural transition in the films were studied as a function of ion dose. The deposited energy required to change Tc was found to be 0.2 eV/atom, while 1–2 eV/atom was required to affect the room-temperature conductivity, and 4 eV/atom to render the film amorphous. This hierarchy of effects is discussed in terms of the damage mechanisms involved.