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) θ-2θ spectra showed that the films consisted mainly of c-axis aligned 1223 phase with some intergrown 1212 phase, while XRD Φ-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.     

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.     

Microstructural Studies of Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3Ox Thin Films on LaAlO3 and MgO Substrates.

Tl₂Ba₂Ca₂Cu₃O_x thin films have been fabricated on (001) LaAlO₃ and (001) MgO substrates. Films grown on LaAlO₃ have T_c=112K and R_S(80K, 10GHz)=0.2m, while films on MgO have T_c=117K and R_s(80K, 10GHz)=0.7m. The grain size and alignment of the films has been investigated using X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Electron Backscattered Diffraction. We show evidence for a markedly higher in-plane angular spread for films on MgO and believe that for films grown on this substrate the lowest achievable values of R_s are limited by disorder in the in-plane alignment of the TBCCO film caused by the large lattice mismatch between the materials.     

Zero resistance at 117 K in Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu2+xOy compounds

In the Pb-doped Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system, optimization of the composition and heat treatment conditions at which a greater amount of the high-T _c phase forms has been reported in our early paper [1], where the temperature of zero resistance was 107K. Recently, we have achieved zero resistance at 117 K and observed an a.c. susceptibility step at around 150 K by changing the Cu composition in the Bi^1.6Pb^0.4Sr²Ca²Cu^2+x O ^y system (x=0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6).