Spatial Characterization of Resistive Transition in YBCO Thin Film

The appearance of resistance in YBCO thin films used in resistive type superconducting fault current limiters has not been clarified completely. Understanding this process should help to prevent failures in superconducting films due to overheating. In this paper, the voltage distribution of a YBCO thin film is measured by probes arranged in a 2-dimensional pattern on the film surface in order to map how the normal state area expands under the influence of a sinusoidal current of several hundred amperes flowing into the film. This measurement was performed on several thin films.