Sensitivity of YBa2Cu3O7 thick films to gamma rays

Superconducting YBa2Cu3O7 -(YBCO) thick films have been prepared using the screen printing method. Effects of gamma irradiation on their structure and transport properties have been investigated up to a gamma dose of 50 MR. A considerable decrease in the intensities of the major diffraction peaks of the XRD pattern was observed due to gamma irradiation. A gradual increase in the normal state resistance, with a gradual increase in the slope of the resistance-temperature (R-T) curves was observed with increasing gamma doses. However, slight decrease in the transition temperature has been observed. The Voltage-current (V-I) data were fitted to the power law V similar to I-beta in which the power exponent (3 was found to increase gradually with gamma dose. The sensitivity of the R-T and V-I curves to gamma rays where precisely estimated and from which the regions of linear response were deduced. The possibility of using YBCO thick film as a candidate device for gamma rays sensing was presented. (c) 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.