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

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 T c 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.