Role of Nd/Ba disorder on the penetration depth of Nd1+xBa2-xCu3O7-δ thin films

We report on a study on the effect of Nd/Ba disorder on the ab-plane penetration depth of epitaxial Nd1+xBa2-xCu3O7-delta thin films. While in stoichiometric samples lambda(T) at low temperature is linear, Nd-rich films exhibit a quadratic law. For low Nd excess (x < 0.04), a satisfying fit is obtained using the dirty d-wave model assuming that Nd ions at Ba sites act as strong scattering centers. At high x (x > 0.15) the data are explained if Nd/Ba disorder becomes less effective as a source of scattering. The effect of localization has been discussed to account for the experimental results.