Changing the flux flow state in weak pinning superconducting films

The current carrying dissipative state well above the critical current it is known to be related to the pinning properties of the material and to the microscopic mechanisms of vortex dynamics. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that in low temperature superconducting films exhibiting moderately strong pinning the light ion irradiation has the effect of changing the distribution of the pinning centers without changing their pinning strength and this results into an increase of current stability in the flux flow state. Here we present the results of light ion irradiation on weak pinning superconducting films focusing on the influence of pinning properties of the material in the flux flow state. We realize that the possibility to switch to low dissipations by changing weak pinning is not straightforward. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.