Doping-dependent optical properties in YBCO superconducting films via BaHfO3 nanocrystal addition

doi:10.1088/1674-1056/adee87

Abstract This study investigates the effect of BaHfO$_{3}$ (BHO) addition on the optical properties of YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7-\delta }$ (YBCO) superconducting thin films using spectroscopic ellipsometry. Through Raman spectroscopy and SEM analysis, optimal 10-min Ar ion etching effectively removes surface $a$-axis-oriented grains and Ba-Cu-O impurities, enhancing surface quality. Optical conductivity analysis reveals a doping-dependent evolution: 10 % BHO doping maximizes free carrier density and interband transition efficiency, attributed to optimized Cu-O bond contraction and reduced lattice distortions. Higher doping induces defect clustering, carrier scattering, and redshifted transitions due to lattice expansion. Dielectric function and loss function analyses confirm enhanced plasmonic behavior and flux pinning at 10 % doping, while excessive doping degrades electronic transitions. These results highlight the critical role of controlled BHO addition and surface treatment in tailoring the optical and superconducting properties of YBCO, offering insights into the interplay among doping, carrier dynamics, and electronic structure in high-temperature superconductors (HTS).

Keywords: high-temperature superconductivity YBCO films optical conductivity spectroscopic ellipsometry

Received: 11 March 2025
Revised: 10 June 2025
Accepted manuscript online: 11 July 2025

PACS:	74.72.h
	74.25.Gz	(Optical properties)
	68.37.-d	(Microscopy of surfaces, interfaces, and thin films)
	78.20.-e	(Optical properties of bulk materials and thin films)

Fund: Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52172271, 12374378, 52307026, and 52477022), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2022YFE03150200), and Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Program (Grant No. 23511101600).

Cite this article:

Shulun Han(韩淑伦), Yuanjie Ning(宁苑杰), Jing Chen(陈静), Yanqun Guo(郭艳群), Zicong Yang(杨子聪), Ping Zhu(朱萍), Zhigang Zeng(曾志刚), Chuanbing Cai(蔡传兵), Xinmao Yin(尹鑫茂), and Lijun Tian(田立君) Doping-dependent optical properties in YBCO superconducting films via BaHfO₃ nanocrystal addition 2026 Chin. Phys. B 35 027404

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Doping-dependent optical properties in YBCO superconducting films via BaHfO3 nanocrystal addition

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Doping-dependent optical properties in YBCO superconducting films via BaHfO₃ nanocrystal addition