Characterizing the insulator adjacent to the superconductor in Bi2Sr2-xLaxCuO6+δ (x = 0.3).

The time-averaged and low-frequency noise transport properties were investigated in the vicinity of the superconductor-insulator transition for a Bi2Sr2- x La x CuO6+δ ( x = 0.3) thin film. The results are consistent with a superconductor (metal) embedded in a strong insulator, the latter showing two-dimensional variable range hopping properties. The weak insulator behavior - if any - is attributed to the metallic inclusions only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]