Low-resistance noble metal contacts to high-temperature superconductors

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1990 · Journal of Applied Physics; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.345265· OSTI ID:7171495

Selim, R; Caton, R; Buoncristiani, A M ^[1]; Byvik, C E; Edahl, Jr, R A ^[2]; Wise, S ^[3]

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1. Christopher Newport College, Newport News, Virginia 23606 (USA)
2. NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 23665 (USA)
3. Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634 (USA)

We have extended our studies of a melting technique for making low-resistance contacts to high-temperature superconductors. We have made contacts to both YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{ital x}} and Bi{sub 2}BaSr{sub 2}Cu{sub 2}O{sub 8}, and to related superconducting compounds by melting gold or silver pads onto the samples before the final oxygen treatment. Scanning electron microscope studies show that both gold and silver do not diffuse far from the contact area. The surface contact resistivity of the best contacts made by the melting technique has an upper limit value in the 10{sup {minus}8} {Omega} cm{sup 2} range at 77 K. This contact resistivity shows no significant change in its value over a period of 17 months. Furthermore, an electron radiation dose of 5.7{times}10{sup 17} electron/cm{sup 2} only doubled the contact resistivity. This method of making low-resistance contacts to high-{ital T}{sub {ital c}} materials can be integrated into the final oxygen treatment of many prospective superconducting elements or devices.

• OSTI ID: 7171495
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics; (USA) Vol. 67:1; ISSN 0021-8979; ISSN JAPIA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360204* -- Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories-- Physical Properties
426001 -- Engineering-- Superconducting Devices & Circuits-- (1990-)
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
BARIUM COMPOUNDS
BARIUM OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COLLISIONS
COPPER COMPOUNDS
COPPER OXIDES
DIFFUSION
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRIC CONTACTS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRON COLLISIONS
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
GOLD
IRRADIATION
LOW TEMPERATURE
MELTING
METALS
MICROSCOPY
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SILVER
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
YTTRIUM COMPOUNDS
YTTRIUM OXIDES