Abstract
The stoichiometry of a single crystal (1.5 × 1.3 × 0.075 mm3) of YBCO superconductor was investigated using Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS). Initially a 2 MeV α-macrobeam of ≈︂2 mm diameter was used encompassing the entire crystal. The macrobeam-RBS spectrum had an unusual shape, indicating lateral and/or depth nonuniformity in the crystal, and could not be analyzed to obtain stoichiometric information. SEM micrographs revealed a small crystal overgrowth (0.34 × 0.34 × 0.1 mm3) protruding out of the main crystal, with an uneven interface between the two parts. An α-microbeam of 80 μm resolution was then used to investigate each of the three regions separately. The microbeam-RBS spectra from the main crystal and the smaller crystal overgrowth could be fitted reasonably well with RUMP simulation assuming lateral and depth uniformity, both yielding a stoichiometry of Y1Ba1.8Cu3O6.7/Au0.08 (Au being a contaminant). This is close to the ideal stoichiometry of Y1Ba2Cu3O6.9.
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