Home Search Collections Journals About Contact us My IOPscience

Crossover from thermally activated to steady flow in the vortex dynamics of

Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x thin films

This content has been downloaded from IOPscience. Please scroll down to see the full text.

1999 Supercond. Sci. Technol. 12 533

(http://iopscience.iop.org/0953-2048/12/8/311)

View the table of contents for this issue, or go to the journal homepage for more

Download details:

IP Address: 155.230.1.64
This content was downloaded on 27/08/2015 at 08:01

Please note that terms and conditions apply.

Supercond. Sci. Technol. 12 (1999) 533–537. Printed in the UK PII: S0953-2048(99)02410-0

Crossover from thermally activated to

steady flow in the vortex dynamics of
Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x thin films
S L Prischepa†‡, A Vecchione‡, V N Kushnir†, M Salvato‡,
A Yu Petrov†, C Attanasio‡ and L Maritato‡
† Belarus State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, P Brovka 6, Minsk 220027,
Belarus
‡ Dipartimento di Fisica and INFM, Università degli studi di Salerno, Baronissi (Sa) I-84084,
Italy

Received 8 March 1999

Abstract. We have measured the resistive transition of molecular beam epitaxy prepared
Bi2 Sr 2 CaCu2 O8+x thin films in the presence of perpendicular low magnetic fields H
(0 Oe < H < 1100 Oe) for different values of the bias current density J
(102 A cm−2 < J < 105 A cm−2 ). The experimental data show two distinct dissipative
behaviours. In the low-current region (J < 103 A cm−2 ) the electrical resistivity ρ is
independent on J , changing only with H , while in the high-current region (J > 104 A cm−2 )
ρ is independent of both the bias current and the magnetic field. The result is considered in
terms of thermally activated flux flow–flux creep–steady flux flow crossovers. The role of the
statistical distribution of the pinning energy in the vortex dynamics is discussed.

1. Introduction current, in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) prepared BSCCO

The transport properties of high-Tc superconductors near the
critical temperature Tc have been intensively studied [1]. In
the case of the Bi-based compounds, the large anisotropy
values γ of Bi2 Sr 2 CaCu2 O8+x (BSCCO) together with the
short coherence length ξ and the values of Tc ∼ 90 K,
enhance the influence of thermal fluctuations on static and
dynamic vortex properties, leading to an H –T phase diagram
(H the external magnetic field, T the temperature) with many
different phase transitions and crossovers [2]. Moreover,
in high-Tc superconductors, quenched disorder influences
significantly the H –T phase diagram [3]. In particular, the
disorder can influence the vortex dynamics by smearing the
flux creep (FC)–flux flow (FF) crossover [4–6], leading to
features in the current–voltage characteristics very similar
[7, 8] to those observed for the vortex glass second-order
phase transition [9].
At T close to Tc , in highly anisotropic superconductors,
also the fluctuation of the phase of the order parameter can
play an important role, resulting in additional dissipation
caused by the dissociation of vortex–antivortex pairs.
Typically, this effect is present at temperatures below a
certain value TKT , the Kosterlitz–Thouless (KT) transition
temperature, where TKT < TGL (TGL being the mean-
field critical temperature) [10]. The KT behaviour was
experimentally found in different high-Tc superconductors
[11–13].
In this work we analyse the resistive transitions ρ(T )
dependence upon external low magnetic field and bias
thin films in the temperature range close to Tc . We pay special
attention to the role of disorder on the vortex dynamics. We
show that the KT mechanism is quantitatively inconsistent
with our experimental data, while, taking into account the
statistical distribution of the pinning energies, it is possible
to explain the observed behaviours in terms of a current-
induced crossover from thermally activated flux flow (TAFF)
to FC and finally to a viscous FF.
2. Experimental procedure
c-Axis-oriented BSCCO thin films were prepared on
MgO(100) substrates by the MBE technique with subsequent
ex situ annealing in air atmosphere. Details of the fabrication
procedure can be found elsewhere [14]. Critical temperature
was always higher than 85 K. The width of the transition
was ∼8–10 K and the critical current density values Jc were
∼105 A cm−2 at t = T /Tc < 0.5, probably indicating a
reduced oxygen concentration in our samples [15]. Transport
measurements were performed by a standard dc four-probe
method. The desired geometry was obtained by a wet
photolithography procedure followed by chemical etching,
which did not deteriorate the film superconducting properties.
The magnetic field was always parallel to the c-axis. We used
a normal Cu-based solenoid to create a magnetic field up to
1100 Oe and all the measurements were done in a liquid-
nitrogen bath.

0953-2048/99/080533+05$30.00 © 1999 IOP Publishing Ltd 533

S L Prischepa et al

Figure 1. Low-resistivity part versus temperature for different magnetic field values at J = 111 A cm−2 . Full curves are fits to the
experimental data obtained using the KT theory (equation (1)).

Figure 2. The U ((T ) dependences, as obtained from the ρ(T ) experimental data using equation (3), for different J values at H = 100 Oe.

3. Results and discussion
Figure 1 shows the low-resistivity part of typical ρ(T , H )
curves recorded using a bias current density J =
111 A cm−2 . The film thickness is df = 0.1 µm, the length
is lf = 50 µm and the width is w = 30 µm. Symbols are for
magnetic fields changing from 0 Oe (right) to 1000 Oe (left).
The broadening of the curves is evident.
In the case of BSCCO thin films, this broadening
could be tentatively interpreted in terms of a KT transition.
Strictly speaking, the KT transition occurs only in 2D
clean superconductors (l/ξab > 1, l being a mean free
path and ξab being the superconducting coherence length
in the a–b plane), and, as was shown in [16], even a
weak Josephson coupling between superconducting layers
makes the spontaneous creation of 2D vortices above TKT

534

thermodynamically impossible. The TKT temperature is
defined from the relation [13]
   
ρ 1 TGL − T 1/2
= AKT exp − β (1)
ρn ξab T − TKT
where AKT and β are constant parameters of the order of the
unity, which depend on the sample characteristics.
Equation (1) well describes experimental data for
Bi2 Sr 2 CaCu2 O8+x epitaxial films [17], when the ratio l/ξab
is found to be in the interval 1.6–3.9 for samples of different
quality. In figure 1, the full curves represent the best fits
calculated according to equation (1). The obtained values
of the fitting parameters, for all the H values, always give a
ratio l/ξab less than unity. Moreover, the broadening of the
resistive transition due to the KT mechanism is given by [18]
TGL − TKT l e2 ρN
τc = = 0.23 . (2)
TGL ξab h̄s
For BSCCO epitaxial films typical τc values due
to the KT mechanism are in the range 0.01–0.06 [17].
For our sample we obtain higher τc values in the range
0.1–0.18, which indicates that the broadening of the curves is
essentially larger than that predicted by the KT theory [19].
This implies the existence of another mechanism causing the
presence of the low-resistivity tail.
If the broadening of the ρ(T , H ) curves is given by the
presence of thermally activated mechanisms it can be written
as [20]
 
Up (T , H, J )
ρ(T , H, J ) = ρ0 exp −
kB T
where ρ0 is a coefficient of the order of the normal resistivity
above the transition ρN , kB is the Boltzmann constant and Uρ
is the effective pinning potential as obtained from transport
measurements. Then
 
ρN
Uρ (T , H, J ) = kB T ln (3)
ρ(T , H, J )
which allows in principle the current, the magnetic field and
the temperature dependences of the pinning energy Uρ to be
investigated [14].
The ρ(T ) data for H = 100 Oe for different J values,
according to equation (3), are used to calculate Uρ /kB , and
are shown in figure 2. Assuming for Uρ (T ) at temperatures
below 78 K a linear dependence, we obtain the Uρ0 values,
i.e. the pinning energy at zero temperature for fixed J and
H values. In figures 3 and 4 are respectively shown the
dependences Uρ0 (J ) at different H and Uρ0 (H ) for different
J.
As is clear in figure 3, the U (J ) dependences for different
H values are step like, with an intermediate current range
(103 –104 A cm−2 ) which distinguishes two different regimes.
For J < 103 A cm−2 the Uρ0 (J ) values are constant but
depend on the magnetic field. For J > 104 A cm−2 the
Uρ0 (J ) values are constant and do not depend on the magnetic
field up to 1100 Oe. In other words, the Uρ0 (J ) dependences
have two flat sections corresponding to linear current–voltage
characteristics.
Vortex dynamics of Bi2 Sr 2 CaCu2 O8+x thin films
Figure 3. The Uρ0 (J ) dependences for different magnetic field
values. Full (broken) curves are fits obtained using equation (5)
(equations (6)).
According to Blatter et al [2] such U (J ) curves
characterize the behaviour of a molten vortex lattice in a
pinning centre field. (Compare, for example, our figure 3
with figures 5 and 27 in [2]) Indeed, according to Glazman
and Koshelev the melting temperature of the vortex lattice Tm
which takes into account the linear strain energy of separate
vortices is [2, 21]
    
0 cL2 π Hc2 1/2 80 1/2
Tm (B) = ln (4)
γ 2 B B
where, 0 = (80 /4π λab )2 , 80 is the flux quantum,
cL is the Lindemann number, λab is the magnetic field
penetration depth in the a–b plane and Hc2 is the upper
critical magnetic field. Taking as typical values for BSCCO
cL = 1/5, Hc2 (0) ≈ 23 T, γ ≈ 70, λab (T ) = 0.21(1 −
T /Tc )−1/2 µm [22] we obtain, in the entire measured
temperature range, the inequality T > Tm . Therefore, in
the investigated H –T region, vortices should be always in
the ‘liquid’ phase.
The work done by the Lorentz force to extract a vortex
line of length equal to the film thickness df from a pinning
well with width rp > ξ0 at J = J ∗ ∼ 104 A cm−2 is
FL∗ rp ≈ J ∗ 80 df ξab ∼ kB T. The linearly extrapolated value
of Uρ at T ∼ 80 K, obtained from the value Uρ0 /kB ≈ 800 K,
is of the same order of magnitude as kB T . On the other hand,
for smaller J values, between 0 and 0.1J ∗ , Uρ (T , H ) ≈
(5–6)kB T . These observations are indicative of the presence
of an FF regime at J > J ∗ . and of a TAFF regime at J < J ∗ .
The TAFF regime [23, 24] makes possible the existence of
finite voltage also for small transport currents (unlike the
glass state where U (T , H, J → 0) → ∞ [25]).
A quantitative description of the experimental data in
figure 3 can be obtained using the ‘single-domain’ model
proposed by Griessen [26]. According to this
   
ρn ρN
Uρ (J ) = kT ln = kT ln
ρ ρff
 
J /Jl
+kB T ln 1+C(H, T ) .(5)
sinh{[A(H, T )/kB T ]J /Jl }
535
S L Prischepa et al

Here A(H, T )J /Jl is the change in the energy of a flux line Table 1. The result of fitting procedure according to equation (6).
(bundle) associated with the Lorentz force acting on a vortex H (Oe) Umin (kB T ) σ (kB T )
and Jl is a local domain critical current. The parameter
C(H, T ) is expressed in terms of creep length Lc , flow length 50 5.6 0.8
150 4.1 1.2
Lf , pinning potential U and FF resistivity ρff [26]. Note that 600 2.6 1.4
in the limit of large J 850 1 0.7
  1100 1 0.3
ρN J
Uρ (J ) ≈ kB T ln + kB T C(H, T )
ρff J1
 
A(H, T ) J
× exp −
k B T J1
which means that the resistivity reaches asymptotically the FF
regime. The fitting procedure, using A(H, T ) and C(H, T )
as fitting parameters and a linear U (T ) dependence, reveals
that equation (5) describes rather well the experimental
curves Uρ0 (J ) (full curves in figure 3).
As is clear from figure 3, in the intermediate current
range, 0.1J ∗ < J < J ∗ , we are in the presence of a crossover
region extending over a large range of currents. Probably,
the reason for this rather wide crossover window is related to
the presence of a pinning energy distribution. To prove this
idea we consider, in describing our data, a statistical model
[27], already successfully applied to explain the pinning force
behaviour in BSCCO thin films [28]. The model of [26] as
well as the one of [27] includes as limiting cases TAFF at Figure 4. The Uρ0 (H ) dependences for different J values.
small J and FF at large J values.
According to the statistical model of [27] (which in equation (6a) describes the TAFF regime with the logarithmic
the spirit of Griessen one may call the model of ‘series characteristic
resistors’), because of the presence of a pinning potential  
distribution (with the consequent spread in the local critical ρN Jmin kB T + σ
kB T ln(ρn /ρ) ≈ Umin + kB T ln .
current densities) at relatively large current densities vortex Ec 2Umin
fractions undergo TAFF and FF simultaneously. Then the
At J  Jmin we obtain
electric field strength is given by
Ec [1 − nf low (J )]
E ≈ ρff J + = ρff J
E = ncreep (J )Ec exp[−U (J )/kB T ] + nf low (J )ρff J 1 + σ/kB T
   
Ec Umin J
where nf low (J ) (ncreep (J )) is the fraction of vortices + exp − −1
1 + σ/kB T σ Jmin
participating in FF (FC), nf low (J ) + ncreep (J ) = 1, Ec is a
coefficient and exp[−U (J )/kB T ] = hexp(−U (J, Jc ))iJc >J , i.e. the current–voltage characteristic approaches exponen-
where the symbol h. . .i means the average over the set of the tially the FF regime according to the experimentally observed
pinning potential U values, for which the local critical current asymptotic behaviour. The results of the fitting procedure ac-
density Jc > J . cording to Equations (6), are shown in figure 3 by the broken
Using for simplicity an exponential distribution for the curves. Taking Jmin of the order of J ∗ , the FC–FF crossover
pinning energy and a linear dependence for U (J ) we obtain current density, we have Umin and σ as fitting parameters,
[27] which are summarized in table 1 for different values of the
  magnetic field H . The behaviour of the obtained values of
exp(−Umin /kB T ) Umin J
E = Ec 2 sinh σ and Umin versus the external magnetic field is very in-
1 + σ/kB T kB T Jmin teresting. We can see, in fact, that, up to 600 Oe, Umin
at J 6 Umin /a ≡ Jmin (6a) decreases and σ increases, indicating that vortices occupy
  different pinning centres (not only the strongest) when the
exp(−Umin /kB T ) Umin J
E = Ec 2 sinh magnetic field grows. For fields H >600 Oe, in our temper-
1 + σ/kB T kB T Jmin
    ature range, the FF regime starts to dominate as revealed by
Umin σ J the fact that Umin = kB T and σ decreases. This is strong
× exp − 1+ −1
σ kB T Jmin evidence of the important role played by the presence of dis-
+nf low (J )ρff J at J > Jmin (6b) order in our films. Moreover, this result confirms our start-
   ing hypothesis about the wide crossover window in the U (J )
Umin J
nf low = 1 − exp − −1 (6c) curves.
σ Jmin The Uρ0 (H ) data for low current densities, figure 4,
where σ is the variance of the distribution, a is a parameter and are qualitatively described in the framework of the previous
Umin is the minimum pinning potential value. At J  Jmin model [27], according to which Umin (H ) = U ∗ +

536

∗ ∗
σ (ln(H /H ) (where H is the magnetic field related to the
change in the pinning mechanisms and U ∗ is the pinning
potential corresponding to H ∗ [27]). Indeed, in the range
102 Oe<H <103 Oe the obtained experimental dependence
Uρ0 (log H ) is almost linear, confirming the exponential type
of pinning energy distribution. Then, the saturation at
H → 0 of the Uρ0 (log H ) dependence can be explained
by the fact that at low magnetic fields all the vortices are
distributed among the strongest pinning centres with almost
zero variance. This fact can be included by the following
substitution σ → σ ln(H ∗ /H )/[1 +  ln(H ∗ /H )], where 
is a parameter much smaller than the unity.
Nevertheless, in spite of the qualitative attractiveness the
above-mentioned interpretation of the Uρ0 (H ) dependences
runs into problems when we try to obtain a quantitative
agreement with the data of figure 4. We point out that,
while both the considered models [26, 27] give rather good
experimental data interpolation methods, they do not take
into account the mechanisms of vortex–pin and vortex–vortex
interaction. Moreover, as follows from table 1, the variance
of the pinning energy distribution versus H is not constant for
a given J . Therefore to quantitatively explain the magnetic
field dependence of the resistive characteristic we have to
involve other additional considerations. Further detailed
studies on this topic are in progress.
4. Conclusions
Transport properties of MBE-prepared BSCCO thin films
at low magnetic fields and different values of the bias
current have been measured. The KT theory gives
quantitative description of the experimental data but the
values of the obtained fitting parameters are unphysical and
in contradiction with the data of other authors. Moreover,
the smearing of the transition to the superconducting state is
approximately four times greater than that usually observed
in BSCCO films.
A better agreement with the experimental data is found
by taking into account the thermally activated vortex motion.
The U (J ) dependence with two flat regions can be traced
back to the change of the vortex motion regime from TAFF
to FC and, finally, to FF, when the current is increased.
The importance of the presence of disorder in determining
the transport properties of the samples has been shown, a
quantitative agreement with the experimental data having
been obtained by taking into account a statistical distribution
of the pinning energy. The U (H ) dependences have been
qualitatively explained in terms of this model.
Vortex dynamics of Bi2 Sr 2 CaCu2 O8+x thin films
References
[1] Grabtree G W, Kwok W K, Welp V, Lopez D and
Fendrich J A 1998 Proc. NATO Advanced Study Institute
on the Physics and Materials Science on Vortex States,
Flux Pinning and Dynamics (Turkey, 1998) ed S Bose and
R Kossowski (Dordrecht: Kluwer)
[2] Blatter G, Feigel’man M V, Geshkenbein V B, Larkin A I
and Vinokur V M 1994 Rev. Mod. Phys. 66 1125
[3] Vinokur V, Khaykovich B, Zeldov E, Konczykowski M,
Doyle R A and Kes R A 1998 Physica C 295 209
[4] Griessen R 1990 Phys. Rev. Lett. 64 1674
[5] Chen J, Yin D L, Li C Y and Tan J 1994 Solid State
Commun. 89 775
[6] Kisu T, Nakamura T, Takeo M, Kuroda K, Matsumoto Y and
Irie F 1995 IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. 5 1363
[7] Yin D, Schauer W, Windte V, Küpfer H, Zhang S and Chen J
1994 Z. Phys. B 94 249
[8] Lykov A N, Attanasio C, Maritato L and Prischepa S L 1997
Supercond. Sci. Technol. 10 119
Lykov A N, Attanasio C, Maritato L and Prischepa S L 1997
Physica C 282–287 2019
[9] Koch R H, Foglietti V, Gallager W J, Koren G, Gupta A and
Fisher M P A 1989 Phys. Rev. Lett. 631151
[10] Kosterlitz J M and Thouless D J 1973 J. Phys. C: Solid State
Phys. 6 1181
Kosterlitz J M 1974 J. Phys. C: Solid State Phys. 7 1046
[11] Artemenko S N, Gorlova J G and Latyshev Yu I 1989 Phys.
Lett. A 138 428
[12] Martin S, Fiory A T, Fleming R M, Espinosa G P and
Cooper A S 1989 Phys. Rev. Lett. 62 667
[13] Livanov D V, Balestrino G and Montuori M 1994 Physica C
226 320
[14] Attanasio C, Coccorese C, Kushnir V N, Maritato L,
Prischepa S L and Salvato M 1995 Physica C 255 239
[15] Balestrino G, Marinelli M, Milani E, Paoletti A and Paroli P
1993 J. Appl. Phys. 73 3903
[16] Cataudella V and Minnhagen P 1990 Physica C 166 442
[17] Balestrino G, Livanov D V and Montuori M 1994 Physica C
234 77
[18] Beasley M R, Mooji J E and Orlando T P 1979 Phys. Rev.
Lett. 42 1165
[19] Minnhagen P 1987 Rev. Mod. Phys. 59 1001
[20] Tinkham M 1988 Phys. Rev. Lett. 61 1658
[21] Glazman L I and Koshelev A E 1991 Phys. Rev. B 43 2835
[22] Cooper S L and Gray K E 1994 Physical Properties of High
Temperature Superconductors ed D M Ginzberg
(Singapore: World Scientific) p 63
[23] Kes P H, Aarts J, van den Berg J, van der Beek C J and
Mydosh J A 1989 Supercond. Sci. Technol. 1 242
[24] Dew-Hughes D 1988 Cryogenics 28 674
[25] Fisher M P A 1989 Phys. Rev. Lett. 62 1415
[26] Griessen R 1991 Physica C 175 315
[27] Kushnir V N, Coccorese C, Prischepa S L and Salvato M
1997 Physica C 275 211
[28] Prischepa S L, Attanasio C, Coccorese C, Maritato L,
Pourtier F, Salvato M and Kushnir V N 1996 J. Appl.
Phys. 79 4228
537