Growth conditions and characterization of Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+delta) single crystals

We have grown high-quality Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+delta)(Bi-2212) single crystals by a self-flux method without mixing and grinding of reagent-grade Bi(2)O(2), SrCO(3), CaCO(3), CuO powders, to simplify the growth process of the Bi-2212 single crystals. During the crystal growth process, the pressure was applied using a brick placed on the cap on an alumina crucible. Under a 0.234 N /sq cm pressure, we obtained high-quality single crystals with the zero superconducting transition temperature T(c,zero) = 87.6 K in the best sample. The T(e,zero) values of the Bi-2212 single crystals were greatly affected by the pressure applied to the cap. The observed T(e,zero) vs. pressure curve was very similar to the T(c) vs. J curve for Bi-2212 single crystals. The result indicates that the applied pressure to the cap may control the oxygen content in the Bi-2212 crystals.