EFFECTS OF SURFACE HEAVY-ION IMPLANTATION ON SUPERCONDUCTING MELT-TEXTURED YBA2CU3O7-DELTA

The possibility of predictably enhancing the critical current density of a bulk material with a strong uncorrelated disorder by introducing linearly correlated defects into just the top and bottom surface layer s has been investigated. The task was fully demonstrated for melt-text ured YBa2Cu3O7-delta having irradiation modified percent thickness ran ging from 13% to 5%. The characteristic signatures of vortex localizat ion were observed in the higher range of temperature and magnetic fiel d. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.