CORRELATION OF SPECTROSCOPIC AND SUPERCONDUCTING PROPERTIES OF REBA2CU3O7-Y WITH THE RARE-EARTH IONIC RADIUS

Measurements of the lattice parameters, resistivity and CuK absorption spectra are reported for the REBa2Cu3O7-y series. The Rare Earth (RE) ionic radius scales linearly not only with the lattice parameters, but also with the superconducting transition temperature and with the position of the CuK absorption edge. Substitution of a smaller RE leads to a smaller Tc. At the same time the hole density is increased at the Cu(2) atoms in the planes. This is in contrast to the increase of Tc with increasing hole concentration when doping with oxygen. © 1990.