Zn doping in YBCO single crystal by the solute-rich liquid-crystal pulling method

Zn-doped YBa₂Cu₃O_6+δ (YBCO) single crystals were fabricated by the solute-rich liquid-crystal pulling (SRL-CP) method. The Zn content of x ranged from 0.0035–0.029 and almost uniformly distributed in YBa₂(Cu_1−xZn_x)₃O_6+δ. There is a nearly linear relationship between the added Zn content in the liquid and the analyzed Zn content in the liquid/in the crystal. When the added Zn content C_l was 1.086 at. %, decreasing of growth temperature led to increasing growth rate. However, growth temperature had no obvious effect on the doped Zn content in the crystal C_s, the Zn content in the flux C_l, and the effective distribution ratio of k′. In addition, growth spirals on the grown crystal surface were observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). X-ray Laue pattern and RBS measurements are indicative of good crystallinity of YBa₂(Cu_1−xZn_x)₃O_6+δ. Critical temperatures of T_c changed from 89 to 57 K when the Zn content x ranged 0.0035 to 0.029 after appropriate oxygenation.