Fabrication and electrical transport characterization of high quality underdoped YBa2Cu3O7-δ nanowires

We present the fabrication and electrical transport characterization of underdoped YBa2Cu3O7-δ nanowires. The nanowires have been realized without any protective capping layer and they show transport properties similar to those of the parent thin film, demonstrating that they have not been damaged by the nanopatterning. The current-voltage characteristics of the underdoped nanowires show large hysteretic voltage switching at the critical current, in contrast to the flux-flow like characteristics of optimally doped nanostructures, indicating the formation of a self-stabilizing hot spot. These results open up new possibilities for using the underdoped nanowires as single photon detectors and for exploring the underdoped side of the YBa2Cu3O7-δ phase diagram at the nanoscale.