Information on semiconductor/superconductor interface is important in fabricating devices of such hybrid systems. In
this paper the electrical properties and AC susceptibility of Tl2
Ba2
CaCu2
O8
(Tl-2212) superconductor added with CdTe
semiconductor are reported. Samples with nominal starting composition Tl2
Ba2
CaCu2
O8
(CdTe)x with x = 0 to 0.20 weight
percent (wt. %) have been prepared by the solid-state reaction method. X-ray diffraction patterns showed essentially
the Tl-2212 phase with presence of impurities (CuO and Tl2
Ba2
CuO6
) for x ≥ 0.05 wt. % but did not change the Tl-2212
structure which is tetragonal with lattice parameter a = b ≠ c. The critical onset temperature, Tc-onset for all samples was
between 104 and 108 K while the critical zero resistance temperature, Tc-zero was from 93 to 95 K. The superconducting
transition determined by AC susceptibility measurement showed Tcχ’ between 101 and 103 K. The peak temperature, Tp
of
the imaginary part of the susceptibility χ” decreased for x = 0.05 and then increased for x > 0.05. This indicated that the
superconducting grains were strongly coupled for x > 0.05 as a result of CdTe addition. The intergrain critical current
density, Jc
at Tp
for the x = 0.2 sample Jc (Tp
= 95 K) = 23 A cm-2was the highest among all samples. This sample also
showed the highest Tp
indicating CdTe improved the flux pinning of the Tl-2212 phase. This result can be useful in the
fabrication of semiconductor/superconductor (Tl-2212) hybrid devices.