In this thesis, the tunneling between individual atomic layers in structures of Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+x based high-temperature superconductors are experimentally studied employing the intrinsic Josephson effect. A special attention is paid on the fabrication of small mesa structures using micro and nanofabrication techniques.

Different resonant phenomena are studied in the dynamic fluxon state at high magnetic fields, including Eck-resonances and Fiske steps.

The periodic Fraunhofer-like modulation of the critical current of the junctions as a function of in-plane magnetic field is investigated. A transition from a modulation with a half flux quantum to a flux quantum periodicity is demonstrated with increasing field and decreasing junction length. It is interpreted in terms of the static fluxon lattice of stacked, strongly cou- pled intrinsic Josephson junctions and compared with theoretical predictions. A fluxon phase diagram is constructed. It is experimentally found that a stable rectangular fluxon lattice can be obtained at a flux density larger than 1.3 fluxons per Josephson penetration length and junction, Ф₀/λ_Js. Numerical simulations have been carried out to complement the experimental data.

The resistive switching of mesas at high bias is studied. It is attributed to a persistent electri- cal doping of the crystal. Superconducting properties such as the critical current and tempera- ture and the tunneling spectra are analyzed at different doping states of the same sample. The dynamics of the doping is studied, and attributed to two mechanisms; a charge-transfer effect and oxygen reordering.

In this thesis, the tunneling between individual atomic layers in structures of Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+x based high-temperature superconductors are experimentally studied employing the intrinsic Josephson effect. A special attention is paid to the fabrication of small mesa structures using micro and nanofabrication techniques.

In the first part of the thesis, the periodic Fraunhofer-like modulation of the critical current of the junctions as a function of in-plane magnetic field is investigated. A transition from a modulation with a half flux quantum to a flux quantum periodicity is demonstrated with increasing field and decreasing junction length. It is interpreted in terms of the transformation of the static fluxon lattice of stacked, strongly coupled intrinsic Josephson junctions and compared with theoretical predictions. A fluxon phase diagram is constructed.Numerical simulations have been carried out to complement the experimental data.

In the second part of the thesis, different resonant phenomena are studied in the dynamic flux-flow state at high magnetic fields, including Eck-resonances and Fiske steps. Different resonant modes and their velocities, including superluminal modes, are identified.

In the third part, different experiments attempting to detect radiation from small mesa structures using different setups based on hot-electron bolometer mixers and calorimeters are described. No distinct radiation with emission powers higher than about 500pW could be detected. Furthermore, the interaction with external GHz-radiation is studied. Resonances attributed to an induced flux-flow are observed, and the reflectivity of the sample can be tuned by switching mesas between the superconducting and quasiparticle state.

In the last part, the resistive switching of mesas at high bias is studied. It is attributed to a persistent electrical doping of the crystal. Superconducting properties such as the critical current and temperature and the tunneling spectra are analyzed at different doping states of the same sample. The dynamics of the doping is studied, and attributed to two mechanisms; a charge-transfer effect and oxygen reordering