Intrinsic Josephson junctions in a magnetic field

Measurements of the c-axis tunneling characteristics across mesas patterned on the surfaces of Bi2212 single crystals are discussed. The measurements provide information on the magnetic phase diagram, vortex pinning and the interplanar pancake correlations at different temperatures and magnetic fields. The pancake correlations and/or pinning can be effectively controlled by: (i) carrier concentration (oxygen content), (ii) columnar defects via heavy-ion irradiation, (iii) changes of the tunneling-barriers' width via intercalation of inert molecules or pressure. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.