Development of a microprocessor-based four probe DC resistivitysetup for Tc measurement of superconductingmaterials

The design of a microprocessor-based resistivity measurement system for high transition temperature (T_c) superconducting materials is described. This design includes interfacing an Intel 8085 microprocessor system with an IBM-compatible personal computer (PC) through RS-232C serial communication. This design is used to measure resistivity for superconducting samples of YBa₂Cu ₃O_7-x and strontium/potassium substituted YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x. A correction method is described for the parameters whose values are changing throughout the measurement period to minimize the measurement errors     

NiTi substituted hexaferrites for magnetic recording

In order to obtain hexagonal ferrites with improved characteristics for application in the field of the magnetic recording, the ferrimagnetic Sr(NiTi)_x Fe_12-2xO₁₉ system is studied. Preliminary investigations suggested that NI is more effective than Co in reducing the magnetic anisotropy of hexaferrites. The system was analyzed as a function of the degree of substitution x and of the reaction temperature T_R and time τ. The reactivity of the mixtures and their magnetic characteristics (σ, H_c, H_A, T_c) were measured, and from the _χT(H) data it was possible to distinguish between single-domain or polydomain particles. The results are presented. The influence of the extraneous magnetic phases on the coercive field value was also studied and a preliminary investigation of the relation between coercive and anisotropy fields was carried out     

Grain size dependence of low field microwave absorption in Y1Ba2Cu3O7 powders

The authors report investigations on the influence of low (≲65 Oe) magnetic fields on microwave absorption in several Y₁ Ba₂Cu₃O₇ powders at 2, 10, 22, and 35 GHz at temperatures varying between 1.3 K and 77 K. Even powders which show negligible zero-field absorption have a significant induced absorption at low fields. At low T there is a large frequency-dependent magnetic hysteresis in the field-induced absorption     

Hard magnetic phase in rapidly quenched Zr-Co-B alloys

In order to identify a hard magnetic phase in rapidly quenched Zr-Co-B alloys and clarify its magnetic properties, Zr-Co-B ribbons, Zr-Co ribbons, and Zr-Co ingots were studied. The hard magnetic phase is interpreted as a Zr₂Co₁₁ intermetallic compound. This compound has a Curie temperature of 500°C and uniaxial magnetic anisotropy with an anisotropy field of 34 kOe. The magnetization of this compound was estimated to be 67 emu/g at 15 kOe. In addition to the hard magnetic phase, the low and high T_c phases appear in both binary and ternary alloys. The low T_c phase is FCC Zr₆Co₂₃ with T_c=180°C. The magnetization of Zr₆Co₂₃ was estimated to be 44 emu/g at 15 kOe. The high T_c phase is cobalt including a small amount of zirconium. In Zr-Co-B alloys, suitable boron addition is shown to enhance the coercive force. On the other hand, the addition increases the magnetization. While the boron addition produces cobalt, it reduces Zr₆Co₂₃ or quenches its ferromagnetism     

Cr migration in CoNiTa/Cr films by annealing

CoNiTa/Cr double-layered films for longitudinal magnetic recording media have been prepared by using the facing targets sputtering apparatus. Substrate heating and postannealing were performed in order to increase the coercive force H_c. While the as-deposited film at the substrate temperature T_s of 400°C had H_c of 780 Oe, the films deposited at T_s of room temperature, exposed to atmosphere, and annealed at 400°C, had H_c as high as 1700 Oe. It has been found that the same amount of Cr atoms migrated from the underlayer to the magnetic layer and the vicinity of the film surface. Consequently, such a large increase of H_c seemed to be caused by isolation of magnetic grains by Cr atoms in their boundaries     

Properties of the W-type hexaferritePbZn2Fe16O27

W-type Pb-hexaferrites were prepared by standard ceramic methods. The lattice constants found by refinement were a=0.59140±0.00006 nm and c=3.29209±0.00041 nm. The X-ray density of a typical composition PbZn_1.9Fe_15.3O_25.8 was ρ=5.32 g/cm³ and the Vickers microhardness value h _v=6 kN/mm². A plot of the saturation magnetization versus temperature is given. The extrapolated value of the saturation magnetization (H→∞, T→0) was σ_s=108 emu×g^-1, and the Curie temperature was T_c=600±20 K     

Development of high-quality ceramic powders for Sr0.9Ca0.1Zn2-W type hexagonal ferrite for permanentmagnet devices

Fine ceramic powders of Sr_0.9Ca_0.1Zn₂ Fe₁₆O₂₇ (Sr_0.9Ca_0.1Zn ₂-W) ferrite, of almost single domain grain size ~1 μm, have been synthesized successfully by sintering for a few hours a mixture of SrCO₃, CaCO₃, ZnO, and α-Fe₂ O₃ in stoichiometric amounts at an effectively low temperature (T_s) of ~1100°C. Carbon dioxide evolves in the reaction Sr(Ca)CO₃+2ZnO+8 α-Fe₂D₃ &lrarr2;Sr(Ca)Zn₂Fe₁₆O₂+C₂ , making fine pores in the sample, which prevent large grain growth of the material and result in a very loose powder. The small ⩽10% substitution of Sr by Ca activates the reaction, but preserves the crystallization of the small-sized grains. This yields magnetic properties useful for most permanent magnet applications, with a promisingly high coercivity H_c~3650 Oe and saturation magnetization M_s~65 emu/g. A considerably better saturation magnetization M_s~85 emu/g can be obtained by sintering the samples at higher T_s~1300°C, but that results in a rather very low coercivity H_c~105 Oe     

Measurement method of high Tc superconductingcoplanar lines

Broadband measurements have been done on high T_c superconducting coplanar lines of YBa₂Cu₃O ₇ on [100]MgO substrates. From the transmission and reflection coefficients of coplanar lines, the characteristic impedance, attenuation constant, phase constant, group velocity, and London penetration depth of the film are derived, based on the circuit models     

Lateral magnetic inhomogeneities in Co-Cr layers detected by FMR

Co-Cr layers deposited on Ge underlayers were investigated with ferromagnetic resonance (FMR). The thickness of the Co-Cr layers and the substrate temperature (T_s) during deposition were varied. Measurements with a vibrating sample magnetometer showed that an increase of T_s results in an increase of both the bulk saturation magnetization M_s and the perpendicular coercivity H_c^⊥. The FMR spectra, obtained with the applied field perpendicular to the sample, showed two resonances for all layers. The effective anisotropy field is positive for both resonances. The difference in effective anisotropy field does not change with thickness of the layer, but increases with increasing T_s. From this it is clear that the two resonances are not due to magnetic inhomogeneities in the growth direction, but must be due to lateral magnetic inhomogeneities. Inhomogeneities in composition, resulting in different values of M _s, or in geometric structure, resulting in different values of the demagnetizing factor N_d, are the most probable causes of the observed effects     

Analysis of temperature-dependent magnetization in Sm-Fe-Ccompounds using a two-sublattice model

The temperature dependence of magnetization in Sm₃Fe ₂₀C_x (x =0.3, 0.6, 0.8) and Sm₂Fe_16.5C_1.0 intermetallic compounds with rhombohedral structure has been analyzed using molecular field theory. On the basis of a two-sublattice model, the molecular field coefficients are calculated using a numerical fitting method. The Curie temperature and the Fe-Fe, Sm-Fe, Sm-Sm magnetic interaction energies for the compounds are determined from these coefficients. The results show that the increase of the Curie temperature (T_c) with the increase of carbon content x is attributed mainly to the enhancement of the Fe-Fe exchange interaction energy caused by carbon atoms added     

Surface impedance studies of the high-Tc oxidesuperconductors

The authors briefly review results of measurements of the multimeter-wave surface impedance of ceramic, thin-film and single-crystal samples of the high-T_c oxide superconductors. The observed losses and temperature dependences do not agree with BCS (Bardeen-Cooper-Schriefer) theory. The authors discuss recent measurements of single-crystal B₂CaSr₂Cu ₂O_x and the effect of the application of a perpendicular magnetic field. They consider the possibilities of intrinsic and defect mechanisms to explain the observations. In particular, they discuss the effects of weakly coupled granular films on surface impedance. It is concluded that better samples are necessary to resolve the issue of the source of the large values of the surface impedance observed thus far     

Corrosion study in TbFeCoCr amorphous magneto-optical films

(Tb₂₀Fe₆₅Co₁₅)₉₄Cr ₆ film shows high corrosion resistance with good magnetooptical properties, H_c=4.9 kOe, &thetas;_k=0.3°, K_u=1.4×10⁶ erg/cm³ and T_c=230°C. Pit corrosion in 1N-NaCl aqueous solution and wet corrosion in 85°C and 85%RH atmosphere were studied for TbFeCo films with and without Cr addition. It is suggested that pit corrosion occurs by a chemical reaction between the anodic pit wall and the cathodic film surface, resulting in a piling up of corroded products inside the pits. On the other hand, wet corrosion in TbFeCo and TbFeCoCr films shows a bubble-chain-like morphology similar to conventional filiform corrosion observed in a coated film. This seems to take place by discontinuous movement of the anodic reaction area ahead of the bubbles     

1988 Applied Superconductivity Conference

The following topics are dealt with: superconducting electronics; superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs); magnetometers; Josephson device memories; thin-film superconducting materials; tunnel junctions; Josephson device logic circuits; high-T_c (critical temperature) superconductors; YBaCuO superconductors: ceramic superconductor memories; millimeter-wave detectors; Josephson device mixers; superconducting transmission-line structure; superconducting microwave cavities; tunnel spectroscopy; laser-induced switching of superconductors; gradiometers; harmonic mixing; SIS (superconductor-insulator-superconductor) mixers; superconducting bolometers; superconductor device fabrication; SSC; (Superconductor Super Collider); magnets; superconducting magnets; chaos in Josephson junction systems; superconducting coils; superconducting material preparation; MHD; (magnetohydrodynamics) magnets; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) magnets; and niobium materials devices     

High Tc superconducting quick responsenonlinear inductances and magnetic modulators

Remarkable nonlinear inductances due to the soft magnetic BH hysteresis characteristics are obtained for YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x disk-shaped cores at 77 K which are tightly wound with polyester-coated copper coils. The inductance changes from nearly zero due to the Meissner effect to that of an equivalent coreless coil as a result of the flux penetration effect due to increasing the exciting current or the applied external magnetic field. Values of inductances are almost constant from low frequency to at least 20 MHz, indicating that the high-T_c superconductor is a fast-response nonlinear inductor material. Fast-response magnetic modulators use one toroidal core or one pair of disk cores with a carrier frequency of more than 10 MHz and a signal frequency of 0 to 500 kHz     

Computation of 3-D current driven skin effect problems using acurrent vector potential

A finite element formulation of current-driven eddy current problems in terms of a current vector potential and a magnetic scalar potential is developed. Since the traditional T-Ω method enforces zero net current in conductors, an impressed current vector potential T₀ is introduced in both conducting and nonconducting regions, describing an arbitrary current distribution with the prescribed net current in each conductor. The function T ₀ is represented by edge elements, while nodal elements are used to approximate the current vector potential and the magnetic scalar potential. The tangential component of T is set to zero on the conductor-nonconductor interfaces. The method is validated by computing the solution to an axisymmetric problem. Problems involving a coil with several turns wound around an iron core are solved     

Digital correction of A/D conversion error due to multiplexingdelay

A measurement channel which consists of a multiplexer, sample-and-hold circuit, and analog-to-digital (A/D) converter is studied. It is designed for the synchronous sampling and measurement of two or more voltage signals V₁(t), V ₂(t), . . ., but the finite time of A/D conversion (ΔT) makes it impossible to acquire consecutive samples closer in time than ΔT. This can become a source of measurement error if further processing of the measurement data is based on the assumption of ideal synchronism. It has been found that interpolation filters, developed from the Lagrange polynomial interpolation, are useful tools for solving the problem of correction. An illustrative example of their use is presented     

Grain size dependence of coercivity and permeability innanocrystalline ferromagnets

Amorphous ribbons of composition Fe_74.5-xCu_xNb₃Si_13.5B₉ (x=0, 1 at.%) have been annealed between about 500°C and 900°C. This produced a series of crystallized samples with grain sizes between about 10 nm and 300 nm and with coercivities H _c and initial permeabilities μ_i varying over several orders of magnitude. The best soft magnetic properties (H _c≈0.01 A/cm and μ_i≈80×10³ ) were observed for the smallest grain sized of about 10 nm. With increasing grain size D, coercivity steeply increases following a D⁶-power law (up to D≈50 nm). H_c then runs through a maximum of H_c≈30 A/cm and decreases again for grain sizes above 150 nm according to the well-known 1/D law for polycrystalline magnets. The initial permeability was found to vary in a similar manner, essentially being inversely proportional to coercivity. The variation of the soft magnetic properties with the average grain size is discussed and compared with the predictions of the random anisotropy model and other theories for the magnetization reversal     

Superconducting magnetic energy storage

The author presents the rationale for energy storage on utility systems, describes the general technology of SMES (superconducting magnetic energy storage), and explains the chronological development of technology. The present ETM (Engineering Test Model) program is outlined. The impact of high-T_c materials on SMES is discussed. It is concluded that SMES is marginally competitive with other storage technologies and is likely to remain so     

Sintered Sm2(Co, Fe,Cu,Zr)17 magnets withlight rare earth substitutions

The effects of partial substitution of light rare earths for Sm in (Sm_1-xR_x)₂ (Co,Fe,Cu,Zr)₁₇ have been investigated where R=Ce, Pr, Nd, Pr_0.5Nd _0.5, Ce_0.2Pr_0.4Nd_0.4 and x=0-0.5. Experiments show that both remanence and maximum energy product are improved for x=0.1-0.2, depending upon compositions and heat treatments. For a composition Sm_0.8R_0.2(Co_0.633Fe_0.286 Cu_0.061Zr_0.020)_7.59 with R =Ce_0.2Pr_0.4Nd_0.4, the authors obtained B_r=11.57 kG, _MH_c =15.5 kOe, _BH_c=10.33 kOe, H_k=10.03 kOe, and (BH)_max=30 MGOe     

Improvements of the T-Ω method for 3-D eddy currentanalysis

An improved T-Ω method that can analyze magnetic fields produced not only by eddy currents but also by magnetizing currents is proposed. The method is applied to the analysis of 3-D eddy-current models with holes. The usefulness of the method is investigated by comparing calculated results with measured results and with results obtained by the A-Φ method. The T-Ω method has the advantage that the CPU time can be considerably reduced when most of the analyzed region is current-free and the eddy current flows two-dimensionally. The method is especially effective when the shape of the winding is simple and the distribution of magnetizing current is known beforehand. It is not effective when most of the analyzed region is current-carrying