The possibility of predictably enhancing the critical current density of a bulk material with a strong uncorrelated disorder by introducing linearly correlated defects into just the top and bottom surface layers has been investigated. The task was fully demonstrated for melt-texturedYBa2Cu3O7−&dgr;having irradiation modified percent thickness ranging from 13&percent; to 5&percent;. The characteristic signatures of vortex localization were observed in the higher range of temperature and magnetic field. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.