Decoupling and tuning competing effects of different types of defects on flux creep in irradiated YBa2Cu3O7−δ coated conductors

YBa2Cu3O7−δ coated conductors (CCs) have achieved high critical current densities (J c) that can be further increased through the introduction of additional defects using particle irradiation. However, these gains are accompanied by increases in the flux creep rate, a manifestation of competition between the different types of defects. Here, we study this competition to better understand how to design pinning landscapes that simultaneously increase J c and reduce creep. CCs grown by metal organic deposition show non-monotonic changes in the temperature-dependent creep rate, S(T). Notably, in low fields, there is a conspicuous dip to low S as the temperature (T) increases from ~20 to ~65 K. Oxygen-, proton-, and Au-irradiation substantially increase S in this temperature range. Focusing on an oxygen-irradiated CC, we investigate the contribution of different types of irradiation-induced defects to the flux creep rate. Specifically, we study S(T) as we tune the relative density of point defects to larger defects by annealing both an as-grown and an irradiated CC in O2 at temperatures T A = 250 °C–600 °C. We observe a steady decrease in S(T > 20 K) with increasing T A, unveiling the role of pre-existing nanoparticle precipitates in creating the dip in S(T) and point defects and clusters in increasing S at intermediate temperatures.