High Critical Current Density YBa2Cu3O x Tapes Using the RABiTs Approach

Progress in the fabrication of epitaxial, high-J _c, biaxially aligned YBCO thick films on Rolling-assisted biaxially textured substrates (RABiTs) is reported. RABiT substrates comprise a biaxially textured metal substrate with epitaxial oxide buffer layers suitable for growth of superconductors. Oxide buffer layers have been deposited using three techniques: laser ablation, electron-beam evaporation, and sputtering. Epitaxial YBCO films grown using laser ablation on such substrates have critical current densities approaching 3 × 10⁶ A/cm² at 77 K in zero field and have field dependences similar to epitaxial films on single crystal ceramic substrates. Critical current densities in excess of 0.2 MA/cm² have been obtained on stronger, nonmagnetic substrates. In addition, samples with J _e of 12.5 kA/cm² at 77 K have been fabricated. The highest strain tolerence obtained so far is 0.7% in compression and 0.25% in tension. Deposited conductors made using this technique offer a potential route for the fabrication of long lengths of high-J _c wire capable of carrying high currents in high magnetic fields and at elevated temperatures.     

Direct Peritectic Growth of c-Axis Textured YBa2Cu3Ox on a Flexible Metallic Substrate

Previous work in the development of YBa₂Cu₃O _x (YBCO) superconducting wires and tapes has been focused on the deposition of YBCO on buffered metallic substrates. Although such an approach has proved successful in terms of achieving grain texturing and high transport current density, critical issues involving continuous processing of long-length conductors and stabilization of the superconductor have not yet been entirely settled. We have developed a novel process, the so-called direct peritectic growth (DPG), in which textured YBCO thick films have been successfully deposited directly onto a silver alloy substrate. No buffer layer is employed in the film deposition process. The textured YBCO grains have been obtained through peritectic solidification over a wide range of temperatures and times. The substrate materials have not demonstrated any observable reaction with the YBCO melt at the maximum processing temperature near 1010°C. The transport J _c has reached a respectable value of 10⁴ A/cm² at 77 K and zero magnetic field. Based on the experimental results in this work, we show that the DPG method offers an effective alternative for the fabrication of long-length YBCO conductors. Also reported is a physical explanation of the texturing mechanism on the metal substrate.     

Epitaxial Growth of CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/YSZ/CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Buffer Layers on Textured Ni Substrates for YBCO Conductors

CeO₂/YSZ/CeO₂ buffer layers were deposited on textured Ni substrates byin situ pulsed laser deposition. The out-of-plane texture and in-plane texture of the buffer layers were characterized by X-ray diffraction ω-scans and ϕ-scans. Using this CeO₂/YSZ/CeO₂ architecture as the buffer layers, high quality YBCO films with a zero-resistanceT _c about 90 K and a self-field critical current densitiesJ _c above 10⁶ A/cm² at 77 K can be obtained on Ni substrates.     

Epitaxial Growth of CeO2/YSZ/CeO2 Buffer Layers on Textured Ni Substrates for YBCO Conductors

CeO₂/YSZ/CeO₂ buffer layers were deposited on textured Ni substrates by in situ pulsed laser deposition. The out-of-plane texture and in-plane texture of the buffer layers were characterized by X-ray diffraction ω-scans and ϕ-scans. Using this CeO₂/YSZ/CeO₂ architecture as the buffer layers, high quality YBCO films with a zero-resistance T _c about 90 K and a self-field critical current densities J _c above 10⁶ A/cm² at 77 K can be obtained on Ni substrates.     

Influence of CeO2-Cap Layer on the Texture and Critical Current Density of YBCO Film

YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (YBCO) thin films have been fabricated on different textured CeO₂-cap layers by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The texture and critical current density J _c of YBCO thin films have been systematically investigated. Both in-plane and out-of-plane textures of YBCO films and CeO₂-cap films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). And the critical currents of YBCO films were measured by the conventional four-probe method. It was found that the texture and J _c of YBCO films were largely dependent on the texture of CeO₂-cap layers under the optimized deposition conditions. With increasing the degree of in-plane and out-of-plane texture of CeO₂-cap layers, J _c of YBCO films decreased from 4.23×10⁶ A/cm² to 0.47×10⁶ A/cm². The FWHM values of the omega scan rocking curves of YBCO films decreased from 3.71 to 1.84° and the phi scan rocking curves from 6.68 to 4.91° with improvement of CeO₂-cap layer texture. Our results indicated that the fabrication of high texture quality of CeO₂-cap layer was necessary for the epitaxial growth of high-J _c YBCO films. The high-quality YBCO films which are comparable with those grown on single crystal substrates could be achieved on high textured CeO₂-cap layers buffered metal substrates.     

Growth of thick chemical solution derived pyrochlore La2Zr2O7 buffer layers for YBa2Cu3O7−x coated conductors

The preparation of several 100 nm thick La₂Zr₂O₇ (LZO) buffer layers on biaxially textured Ni-5 at.%W substrates using chemical solution deposition is studied. This oxide material is currently of great interest for the fabrication of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x (YBCO) coated conductors. Buffer layers for these coated conductors are required to have thicknesses greater than 100 nm in order to guarantee a sufficient barrier function against metal diffusion from the substrate. In this work, single LZO buffer layers with thicknesses exceeding 200 nm have been prepared. Detailed investigations were carried out in order to study the texture development with increasing thickness as well as the microstructure of these layers. Independent of the thickness, high quality buffer layers showing a distinct biaxial texture up to the surface, smooth surfaces, and a sufficient barrier function against Ni diffusion from the substrate have been reproducibly obtained. The high performance of these chemical solution derived LZO buffer layers was confirmed by a YBCO critical current density J_c of 1.0 MA/cm² (77 K, 0 T) achieved for a coated conductor sample with a layer sequence YBCO/CeO₂/LZO(CSD)/Ni-5 at.%W where CeO₂ and YBCO were deposited by pulsed laser deposition.     

Fabrication and Properties of Coated Conductors with All Fluorine-Free CSD Route

A fluorine-free chemical solution deposition (CSD) method has been developed to fabricate YBCO epitaxial films and SmBiO₃ or Sm-doped CeO₂ (SCO) buffer layers on crystal substrates and textured Ni5%W metal substrates. The critical current density, J _c , is over 4 MA/cm² for YBCO deposited on crystal substrates, over 3 MA/cm² on SmBiO₃-buffered single crystal substrates, and it reaches 1 MA/cm² on a (Sm,Ce)O₂-buffered metal substrate, demonstrating the feasibility of an all-CSD method for fabricating high quality coated conductors.     

Reproducibility of transition temperature and critical current density of thin films of YBa2Cu3O7 on (100) LaAlO3

Submicrometer epitaxial films of YBa₂Cu₃O₇(YBCO) on (100) LaAlO₃ were made by coevaporation and furnace annealing. Samples from more than a dozen runs are used in this study. The zero resistance transition temperature (T _c) is high (89 or 90 K) if the film composition is phase pure (Ba/Y=2, Cu/Y=3) or if it is enriched in Ba and Cu. For these compositions the critical current density (J _c) at 77 K has an average value of 2×10⁵ A cm^–2, with a tendency for decreasingJ _c with increasing film thickness (0.2 to 0.8m). Variations inJ _c are not correlated with deviations from ideal stoichiometry. Steeper slopes of the resistance-temperature curves above 100 K and lower values of the room-temperature resistivity are associated with high values ofJ _c. If the film composition is enriched in Y relative to Ba and Cu,T _c decreases by several degrees.     

High-Quality YBa2Cu3O7?x Films with CeO2/YSZ Buffer Layers on 2-Inch Si Wafers Deposited by Pulsed Laser

The pulsed laser deposition (PLD) process is shown for in situ reproducibly fabricating YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x (YBCO) superconducting films with yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and CeO₂ buffer layers, nonsuperconducting crystalline YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x (YBCO*) passivation layer, and silver contact film on 2-inch silicon wafers. Variations of less than ±7% in film thickness have been obtained for this multilayer growth over the whole wafer. The YBCO films on 2-inch silicon wafers have homogeneous superconducting properties with zero resistance temperature T _c0 from 88.4 K to 88.9 K. and critical current density J _c at 77 K and zero field from 2.5 × 10⁶ to 7× 10⁶ A/cm². The YSZ, CeO₂ and YBCO layers grow epitaxially on silicon wafers. Full widths at half maximum (FWHMs) of (113) reflections of 40 nm thick YBCO layer from -scan patterns are only 1.71° and 1.85° corresponding to the center and edge of the wafer, respectively. These results are very promising for developing high-quality high-T _c superconducting devices on large-area silicon wafers.     

In situ grown superconducting YBCO films on buffered silicon substrates for device applications

Thin films of YBa₂Cu₃O_7– (YBCO) have been grownin situ on silicon single-crystal (100) substrate by using SrTiO₃ as a buffer layer. The deposition has been carried out by on-axis rf magnetron sputtering method. The deposition condition have been optimized by studying the plasma characteristics and correlating them with the superconducting performance of the film. Films deposited at substrate temperature in the range of 680–700°C from stoichiometric YBCO targets in an argon + oxygen mixture (31) are superconducting and showc-axis epitaxy. Compositional confirmation has been carried out using Rutherford backscattering. Scanning tunneling microscopy of the films reveal formation of well-defined layered structure with some defects in the initial stages ofin situ growth of the films. Films grown on SrTiO₃ substrates have excellent crystalline quality (XRD), transition temperatureT _c0=81 K and the critical current densityJ _c >2×10⁵ A/cm² for unpatterned films at 77 K. On silicon substrates using buffer layers thein situ deposited YBCO films shows a higher transition width andT _c0 is also slightly less (71 K).     

The Influence of Bi Doping on the In Situ Growth of TlBa2Ca2Cu3O9 High-Tc Films

The in situ process—laser ablation in combination with thermal evaporation of Tl₂O—has turned out to be a preparation method for single-phase and epitaxial TlBa₂Ca₂Cu₃O₉ (1223) thin films with T _c values up to 109 K. It was found by several groups that a partial substitution of Tl by Bi simplifies the phase development of the 1223 compound in the usual two-step process. We have investigated the influence of the Bi doping on the in situ growth. X-ray measurements show that the films consisted mainly of the 1223 compound. In 300-nm thin films there was no evidence of a Bi amount in the crystal structure, but thinner films (80 nm) show a small amount of Bi. We concluded that Bi doping supports the phase development of the 1223 compound only in an early stage of the film growth. The Bi-doped films have higher T _c values up to 114 K, higher j _c values up to 6 × 10⁵ A/cm² (77 K, 0 T), and lower surface resistances of 56 m (77 K, 87 GHz) than the undoped films.     

Microstructural study of YBa2Cu3O7/SrTiO3/YBa2Cu3O7 heteroepitaxial trilayer films grown on (100) SrTiO3 substrates

Detailed transmission electron microscopic study has been carried out on heteroepitaxial YBa₂Cu₃O₇/SrTiO₃/YBa₂Cu₃O₇ trilayer thin films grown on (100)SrTiO₃ substrates prepared by DC and RF magnetron sputtering. The microstructural results showed the existence of somea-axis-oriented YBCO grains 20–90 nm wide in thec-axis-oriented YBCO matrix. Some of thea-axis grains in the lower YBCO thin film layer have protruded into the above SrTiO₃ layer, which may cause short circuit between the two YBCO superconducting layers. This is unsuitable for the application of trilayer thin films for microelectronic devices. The defects on the surface of the substrates would also influence the growth quality of the YBCO thin films.     

Superconducting behavior of high-Tc YBa2Cu3O7 thin films with BaO impurity produced by pulsed laser deposition

We have investigated the superconducting behavior of high-T _c YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (YBCO) thin films containing BaO impure phase produced by pulsed laser deposition. The thin films were characterized by the standard four-probe method, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD showed that all these thin films contained BaO impurity, with thec-axis normal to the surface of the substrates. The presence of impurity existed from substrate temperatureT _s of 727 to 796°C. When these thin films with BaO impurity were measured under the magnetic fields, it was found that the critical current densityJ _c increased slightly with increase in magnetic fieldB within the range ofB500 G, in the case ofB perpendicular to thec-axis of the film.     

Single cerium zirconate buffer layer on biaxially textured metal substrates for high performance coated conductors

Textured cerium zirconate (Ce _x Zr_1−x O₂) films were deposited on biaxially textured Ni-5at.%W substrate by direct-current (dc) reactive magnetron sputtering for low cost production of high performance YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ (YBCO) coated conductors. Film composition was controlled by modulating dc power applied to the Ce metal target. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that all the samples exhibit epitaxial growth, with c-axis perpendicular to the substrate surface. The YBCO film deposited directly on the Ce_0.32Zr_0.68O₂ layer for optimized lattice matching shows a transition temperature T _c and critical current density J _c (75.5 K, self field) of 90.4 K and 1.3 MA/cm². The in-field dependence of J _c is similar to the standard CeO₂/YSZ/CeO₂ buffered samples. These results demonstrate that a single Ce _x Zr_1−x O₂ buffer layer, instead of CeO₂/YSZ/CeO₂ multi-buffer layers for the fabrication of YBCO coated conductors, provides advantages such as simplified architecture and potentially reduced cost due to the reduced fabrication steps.     

Epitaxial Film Growth of Tl0.78Bi0.22Sr1.6Ba0.4Ca2Cu3O9 on Rolling Assisted Biaxially Textured Nickel Substrates with YSZ And CeO2 Buffer Layers

Epitaxial film growth of Tl_0.78Bi_0.22Sr_1.6Ba_0.4Ca₂Cu₃O₉ ((Tl,Bi)-1223) on rolling assisted biaxially textured substrates with YSZ and CeO₂ buffer layers (RABiTS) has been successfully demonstrated by laser ablation and post-deposition annealing in flowing argon. X-ray diffraction (XRD) -2 spectra showed that the films consisted mainly of c-axis aligned 1223 phase with some intergrown 1212 phase, while XRD -scans of (102) pole figure revealed that the films are also a- and b-axes aligned, with an epitaxy of the «100» of (Tl,Bi)-1223 film on the «110» of the top YSZ buffer layer. Four-terminal electrical transport measurements showed that the zero-resistance transition temperature (T_c) was in the range of 106 - 110 K, and the critical current density (J_c) at 77 K and zero field was about 10⁵ A/cm² for the entire film width (3 mm) of a longer film (14 mm) which was processed differently from the shorter films (7 mm). For a shorter film (7 mm) that showed better ab-in-plane alignment, the magnetization J_c, at 77 K and extrapolated to zero field, calculated from Bean's model using the full film width (3.5 mm) as the appropriate lateral dimension, was 2 × 10⁵ A/cm².     

Studies of solution deposited cerium oxide thin films on textured Ni-alloy substrates for YBCO superconductor

Cerium oxide (CeO₂) buffer layers play an important role for the development of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x (YBCO) based superconducting tapes using the rolling assisted biaxially textured substrates (RABiTS) approach. The chemical solution deposition (CSD) approach has been used to grow epitaxial CeO₂ films on textured Ni–3 at.% W alloy substrates with various starting precursors of ceria. Precursors such as cerium acetate, cerium acetylacetonate, cerium 2-ethylhexanoate, cerium nitrate, and cerium trifluoroacetate were prepared in suitable solvents. The optimum growth conditions for these cerium precursors were Ar–4% H₂ gas processing atmosphere, solution concentration levels of 0.2–0.5 M, a dwell time of 15 min, and a process temperature range of 1050–1150 °C. X-ray diffraction, AFM, SEM, and optical microscopy were used to characterize the CeO₂ films. Highly textured CeO₂ layers were obtained on Ni–W substrates with both cerium acetate and cerium acetylacetonate as starting precursors. YBCO films with a J_c of 1.5 MA/cm² were obtained on cerium acetylacetonate-based CeO₂ films with sputtered YSZ and CeO₂ cap layers.     

Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8 thin films on 2 in. LaAlO3(0 0 1) substrates

High quality Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O₈ (Tl-2212) superconducting thin films are prepared on both sides of 2 in. LaAlO₃(0 0 1) substrates by off-axis magnetron sputtering and post-annealing process. XRD measurements show that these films possess pure Tl-2212 phase with C-axis perpendicular to the substrate surface. The thickness unhomogeneity of the whole film on the 2 in. wafer is less than 5%. The superconducting transition temperatures T_cs of the films are around 105 K. At zero applied magnetic field, the critical current densities J_cs of the films on both sides of the wafer were measured to be above 2 × 10⁶ A/cm² at 77 K. The microwave surface resistance R_s of film was as low as 350 μΩ at 10 GHz and 77 K. In order to test the suitability of Tl-2212 thin films for passive microwave devices, 3-pole bandpass filters have been fabricated from double-sided Tl-2212 films on LaAlO₃ substrates.     

Critical current density and microstructure of YBa2Cu3O7 thin films post-annealed at a low oxygen partial pressure

Post-annealing of thin films of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (YBCO) has been performed at 29 Pa and 750°C. For films 0.6 m thick, a critical current density >1 MA cm^–2 is obtained at 77 K, with a sharp eddy current response at 25 MHz. Microstructural investigation of these films by crosssectional and planar transmission electron microscopy reveals that the YBCO film has thec-axis normal to the plane of the substrate in a continuous sheet of varying thickness, frequently covering the entire thickness of the film. Mutually perpendicular rods with thec-axis in the plane of the LaAlO₃ substrate are also seen. The microstructure and critical current density of these films are compared with those of previously reported films post-annealed in atmosphericpressure oxygen.     

High-pressure dc sputtering of High-Tc BPSCCO thin films withTc(0) above 100 K

High-T _c Bi(Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O thin films have been made on single-crystal MgO substrates using high-pressure dc sputtering technique. X-ray studies confirm the crystallinity and highly oriented structure withc-axis perpendicular to the substrate. By optimizing the annealing schedule the formation of the high-T _c phase is stabilized. The best film exhibited superconducting transition temperature with zero-resistance temperature,T _c(0), as high as 101 K. Temperature dependence ofJ _c indicates the presence of Josephson-type weak links.     

Preparation and properties of Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8 thin films

Anex situ process has been developed to produce thin superconducting Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O₈ films. The properties of films grown on different substrates using different annealing regimes were studied. Critical temperatures of 103–107 K were measured on films prepared in a broad range of annealing temperatures on SrTiO₃, LaAlO₃, and Y-ZrO₂ substrates. A critical current density,J _c, of 2×10⁶ A/cm² at 77 K was measured on LaAlO₃. Film morphology was studied by SEM, AFM, and STM.