Temperature Effects on the Phonon Spectrum in YBa2Cu3O7 Single Crystals and Thin Films

We have performed a detailed investigation of the temperature dependence of the 385cm-1 phonon in single crystals and thin films of the YBa2Cu3O7 superconductor by means of Raman spectroscopy. In the single crystal the frequency of this phonon shows a downshift of about 5 cm-1 on passing the superconducting transition from above, which is referred to a strong electron-phonon interaction in the superconductor. The shift of the phonon in thin epitaxial films on MgO or SrTiO3 substrates is only about 2.5 cm-1. This difference may be a result of a structural transition in the single crystal which is possibly suppressed in the films because of the epitaxy. The electron-phonon interaction is also…