Ordered Bose Glass of Vortices in Superconducting YBa${}_2$Cu${}_3$O${}_{7-\hat{I}´}$ Thin Films with a Periodic Pin Lattice Created by Focused Helium Ion Irradiation

Abstract

The defect-rich morphology of YBa${}_2$Cu${}_3$O${}_{7-\hat{I}´}$ (YBCO) thin films leads to a glass-like arrangement of Abrikosov vortices which causes the resistance to disappear in vanishing current densities. This vortex glass consists of entangled vortex lines and is identified by a characteristic scaling of the voltage-current isotherms. Randomly distributed columnar defects stratify the vortex lines and lead to a Bose glass. Here, we report on the observation of an ordered Bose glass in a YBCO thin film with a hexagonal array of columnar defects with 30 nm spacings. The periodic pinning landscape was engineered by a focused beam of 30 keV He${}^{+}$ ions in a helium-ion microscope.

10 pages, 4 figures