ABSTRACT

One of the most exciting developments in recent years has been the discovery of superconducting oxides with critical temperatures (Tc) well above liquid-nitrogen temperature (77 K). Immediately after the discovery of superconductivity in the systems Bi-Sr-Cu-0 [1] and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-0 [2], the superconducting phases have been identified to be members of the homologous series Bi2Sr2Caw_1CuAI04_h2n (n = 1, 2, 3) [3,4].