Role of Nd/Ba disorder on the penetration depth of Nd1+xBa2-xCu3O7-delta thin films

We report on a study on the effect of Nd/Ba disorder on the ab-plane penetr ation depth of epitaxial Nd1+xBa2-xCu3O7-delta thin films. While in stoichi ometric samples lambda(T) at low temperature is linear, Nd-rich films exhib it a quadratic law. For low Nd excess (x < 0.04), a satisfying fit is obtai ned using the "dirty" d-wave model assuming that Nd ions at Ba sites act as strong scattering centers. At high x (x > 0.15) the data are explained if Nd/Ba disorder becomes less effective as a source of scattering. The effect of localization has been discussed to account for the experimental results .