Penetration Depth Studies in Nickel and Zinc Doped Yttrium BARIUM(2) COPPER(3) OXYGEN(7-DELTA)

Many recent experiments have supported the hypothesis of d-wave superconductivity in the high-T_ {c} superconductors. Measurements of lambda(T), the magnetic field penetration depth, have given some of the best evidence for d-wave superconductivity in YBa_2Cu _3O_{7-delta} . This thesis reports measurements of lambda(T) in pure, Ni and Zn-doped YBa _2Cu_3O_ {7-delta} films by measuring the change in the mutual inductance of two coils on opposite sides of the films. The low-temperature linear dependence of lambda(T) at low temperatures in YBa_2Cu_3O _{7-delta} and rapid increase in lambda(0) with doping support the hypothesis of d-wave superconductivity and are inconsistent with the predictions of s-wave models. Alternative explanations for the linear lambda(T) have been proposed in terms of fluctuations in the phase of the order parameter. These fluctuations should be more pronounced in films with large values of lambda (0). We find that the linear term actually disappears in films with large lambda(0), showing that phase fluctuations are not responsible for the linear behavior observed in YBa_2Cu _3O_{7-delta} .