SEM Characterization of Ceramic Superconductors

The discovery of superconductivity at elevated temperatures has spawned an explosion in research to synthesize new materials with suitable physical and electrical properties. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is playing an important role in this development. Studies reported have ranged from morphological, chemical, and crystallographic analysis to the most difficult task of identifying small concentrations of superconducting material within a non-superconducting matrix. Electron probing has also been used in studies of superconducting critical currents and the identification of Josephson junctions?