Bi 2 Sr 2−x Yb x CaCu 2 O 8+δ (x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.20) single crystals with Yb substitution at the Sr sites are successfully obtained by the self-flux method. The single crystal with doping content x = 0.01 exhibits the highest critical temperature (T c ) and critical current density (J c ) values. The influences of Yb doping on the type, size, and density of the introduced defects have been investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. It displays that Yb doping can make the Bi-2212 crystal shrink. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is used to investigate the influence of doping content on the binding energies of certain elements, including O, Sr, and Cu, corresponding to the change of T c . Significant improvement of 25% in the critical current density (J c ) has been achieved with an Yb doping content of 0.01.