Electrical
conductivity relaxation was measured to investigate
the kinetics of oxygen incorporation (in-diffusion process) and excorporation
(out-diffusion process) in different epitaxial REBa2Cu3O7−δ thin films prepared by chemical
solution deposition. The oxygen diffusion in these compounds happens
in two distinct regimes with different activation energies, which
depend on the compound. As the detailed X-ray analysis of similarly
processed REBa2Cu3O7−δ films revealed, the transition temperature between these two regimes
is compatible with a transition in the oxygen ordering in the Cu–O
chains from the Ortho-II phase to the Ortho-I phase. These transitions
may be of great importance for further optimization of the oxygenation
process during the synthesis of these compounds but may depend not
only on the rare-earth (RE) element but also on further factors such
as variations of stoichiometry. The presented electrical conductivity
measurements provide easy access to the determination of these transition
temperatures.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.