c-axis Tunneling in Intercalated Bi$_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+x}$ Single Crystals

We compared c-axis tunneling characteristics of small stacked intrinsic Josephson junctions prepared on the surface of pristine, I-, and HgI$_2$-intercalated Bi$_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+x}$ (Bi2212) single crystals. The R(T) curves are almost metallic in I-Bi2212 specimens, but semiconducting in HgI$_2$-Bi2212 ones.· The transition temperatures were 82.0 K, 73.0 K, and 76.8 K for pristine Bi2212, I-Bi2212, and HgI2-Bi2212 specimens, respectively, consistent with p-T$_c$ phase diagram. Current-voltage (IV) characteristics of both kinds of specimens show multiple quasiparticle branches with well developed gap features, indicating Josephson coupling is established between neighboring CuO$_2$ planes. The critical current I$_c$ of I-Bi2212 is almost the same as of that of pristine crystals, but I$_c$ is much reduced in Hgl$_2$-Bi2212. In spite of expanded interlayer distances, the interlayer coupling is not significantly affected in I-Bi2212due to holes generated by iodine atoms. The coupling in HgI$_2$-Bi2212 is, however, weakened due to inertness of HgI$_2$ molecules and the expansion of interlayer distance. Relation between the superconducting transition temperature T$_c$ and the critical current I$_c$ seems to contradict Anderson's interlayer-pair-tunneling theory but agree with a modified version of it.