Room temperature oxidation of YBCO thin-film by /spl mu/s pulsed electrolysis in aqueous solution

In this paper the oxygen deficiency of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ (YBCO) films has been decreased at room temperature by the anode oxidation in an aqueous solution of LiOH (0.3 N). The anode oxidation of the films has been performed by /spl mu/s pulsed electrolysis by means of short (1.3 /spl mu/s) and high current peak (up to 15.2 A) with a low duty cycle at 5 KHz. The very high oxygen equivalent pressure on the electrode surface allows one to increase the oxygen stoichiometry with a simple experimental set-up. The films have been characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the temperature dependence of the dc resistivity. It appears that the pulsed electrolysis allows one to enhance the critical temperature with a corresponding transition from the "semiconducting" to the "metallic" behavior of the temperature dependence of the resistivity.<
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