A TEM study on the formation of stacking faults by consecutive irradiation of energetic electrons in the Ca-doped YBCO system

Stacking faults existing in the Ca-doped YBCO ceramic superconductors have been investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Irradiation of the Ca-doped YBCO superconductors with an energetic electron beam leads to the formation of stacking faults. The stacking faults lie on the crystal planes, and stretch along two different directions, and . A model of the formation of the stacking fault is proposed to interpret the observed characteristic structure of this lattice defect. The formation energy of the stacking fault has also been crudely estimated using this model.