Electronic anisotropy was studied for overdoped (Y,Ca)Ba2Cu3O7-d with various doping levels (p). It was found that the pseudogap-like behavior in the resistivity disappear when p exceeds 0.17, independent of the oxygen deficiency. The anisotropy ratio (g) estimated from upper critical fields showed a rapid decrease at around p = 0.18, approaching g = 3 for p > 0.20.
The electronic Raman scattering in overdoped (Y,Ca)Ba2Cu3Oy was investigated with changing hole concentration in the superconducting state. It was found that the superconducting responses such as the pair-breaking peaks in the A1g and B1g spectra and the anisotropy of the pair-breaking peak in XX and YY polarizations radically change at around the carrier doping p=0.19. Since both a- and c-axis resistivities strongly suggest the closing of pseudogap at p~0.18, the observed change at p=0.19 in superconducting Raman response is attributed to the electronic crossover due to the collapse of the pseudogap.
By lithographically fabricating an optimised Wheatstone bridge geometry, we have been able to make accurate measurements of the resistance of grain boundaries in Y1-xCaxBa2Cu3O7-d between the superconducting transition temperature, Tc, and room temperature. Below Tc the normal state properties were assessed by applying sufficiently high currents. The behaviour of the grain boundary resistance versus temperature and of the conductance versus voltage are discussed in the framework charge transport through a tunnel barrier. The influence of misorientation angle, oxygen content, and calcium doping on the normal state properties is related to changes of the height and shape of the grain boundary potential barrier.
Single-crystalline (Lu, Ca)Ba2Cu3O7-d (Lu(Ca)123) whiskers have been successfully grown using the Te-doping method. X-ray diffraction patterns of Lu(Ca)123 whiskers showed sharp (0 0 l) peaks corresponding to REBa2Cu3O7-d phase (RE = rare earth elements). Transport measurements showed that the superconducting transition occurred at 83 K in the obtained whiskers.
Here we report extensive ultrafast time-resolved reflectivity experiments on overdoped Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$Ca$_{1-x}$Y$_x$Cu$_{2}$O$_{8+delta}$ single crystals (T$_C$=78 K) aimed to clarify the nature of the superconducting-to-normal-state photoinduced phase transition. The experimental data show the lack of the quasiparticles decay time divergence at the fluence required to induce this phase transition, in contrast to the thermally-driven phase transition observed at T$_C$ and at variance with recently reported photoinduced charge-density-wave and spin-density-wave to metal phase transitions. Our data demonstrate the non-thermal character of the superconducting-to-normal-state photoinduced phase transition. The data have been analyzed using an ad-hoc developed time-dependent Rothwarf-Taylor model, opening the question on the order of this non-equilibrium phase transition.
The evolution of the thermoelectric power S(T) with doping, p, of single-layer Bi2Sr2CuO6+d ceramics in the strongly overdoped region is studied in detail. Analysis in term of drag and diffusion contributions indicates a departure of the diffusion from the T-linear metallic behavior. This effect is increased in the strongly overdoped range (p~0.2-0.28) and should reflect the proximity of some topological change.