Inventors:
Lia Krusin-Elbaum - Dobbs Ferry NY
Alan David Marwick - Yorktown Heights NY
Paul William Lisowski - Los Alamos NM
James Russell Thompson - Knoxville TN
James Francis Ziegler - Yorktown Heights NY
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY
International Classification:
H01L 3912, H01L 3924
Abstract:
There is disclosed herein an invention for increasing the current carrying capability of high-Tc superconductor materials. The inventive method includes irradiating such superconductors with light particles, such as neutrons, protons and thermal neutrons, having energy sufficient to cause fission of one or more elements in the superconductor material at a dose rate and for a time sufficient to create highly splayed (dispersed in orientation) extended columns of damaged material therein. These splayed tracks significantly enhance the pinning of magnetic vortices thereby effectively reducing the vortex creep at high temperatures resulting in increased current carrying capability.