High critical current density of YBCO coated conductors fabricated by inclined substrate deposition

• Published in: Physica. C, Superconductivity Vol. 403; no. 3; pp. 183 - 190
• Main Authors: Ma, B., Koritala, R.E., Fisher, B.L., Uprety, K.K., Baurceanu, R., Dorris, S.E., Miller, D.J., Berghuis, P., Gray, K.E., Balachandran, U.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-04-2004; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Coated conductor; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Exact sciences and technology; High-tc films; Inclined-substrate deposition; Physics; Properties of type I and type II superconductors; Pulsed laser deposition; Superconducting films and low-dimensional structures; Superconductivity; Vortex lattices ,flux pinning, flux creep; YBCO thin film; 74.76.Bz; YBCO thin film; Coated conductor; Inclined-substrate deposition; 74.72.Bk; Pulsed laser deposition; 81.15.−z; Buffer layer; Critical current density; Scanning electron microscopy; Inorganic compounds; Transition element compounds; Deposition rate; XRD; Experimental study; Texture; Inclination; Columnar structure; Deposition process; Superconducting films; Barium oxides; High-Tc superconductors; Quaternary compounds; Copper oxides; Electron beam evaporation; Pole figures; Yttrium oxides
• ISSN: 0921-4534; 1873-2143
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physc.2003.11.018

Inclined substrate deposition (ISD) has great potential for rapid production of high-quality template layers for YBCO-coated conductors. We have grown biaxially textured magnesium oxide (MgO) films on metallic substrates by ISD at deposition rates, 20–100 Å/s. Scanning electron microscopy of the ISD MgO films showed columnar grain structures with a roof-tile-shaped surface. X-ray diffraction and pole figure analysis revealed that the
c-axis of the ISD MgO is tilted at an angle with respect to the substrate normal. A full width at half maximum (FWHM) of ≈10° was observed in the
φ-scan for MgO films. Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and ceria (CeO
2) buffer layers were epitaxially grown on ISD MgO by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) prior to YBCO deposition by PLD. The YBCO films grown on YSZ/CeO
2 buffered ISD MgO substrates were biaxially aligned with the YBCO
c-axis normal to the substrate surface. A critical current density of
J
c>1.2×10
6 A/cm
2 was measured at 77 K in self-field.