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1998 Part 2 |
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Front Cover (1998 - Part
2) No author information
available
Summary: Not
available |
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Table
of Contents (1998 - Part 2) No
author information available
Summary: Not
available |
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Microstructures
and flux pinning properties in Nb/sub 3/Al tapes by
ohmic-heating method N. Harada,
H. Taira, K. Osaki, N. Tada, G. Iwaki and K.
Watanabe
Summary: Two kinds of Nb/sub 3/Al
superconducting tapes with monocores in Nb sheaths have been
fabricated from either Nb/Nb/sub 2/Al(sigma-phase) powders or
Nb/Al powders. Tape samples 3 mm wide, 0.3 mm thick, and 40-50
mm long are ohmically-heated at maximum temperatures which
range from 1650 to 2000/spl deg/C in vacuum, to obtain the
stoichiometric composition of the A15 phase. Critical currents
up to 23 T were measured by a four probe method.
Microstructures were studied using an X-ray diffractometer,
TEM, and EDX. The Nb/sigma powder sample showed a maximum
T/sub c/ at an ohmically-heated temperature 200/spl deg/C
lower than the Nb/Al powder sample. Production of A15 is
influenced by the differences in diffusion length related to
different starting materials. Nb/sub 3/Al grain sizes were 1-2
/spl mu/m in both the Nb/Al sample and the Nb/sigma sample.
Also, /spl sigma/-phase was observed only in Nb/Al sample. The
pinning force densities in the Nb/Al sample and the Nb/sigma
sample showed a large peak at high magnetic field (above 20
T), and a peak at low magnetic field, respectively. From the
relation between microstructure and flux pinning properties,
it is supposed that the /spl sigma/-phase acts as an effective
pinning center at high magnetic fields in Nb/sub
3/Al. |
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Short-sample
quenching of Nb/sub 3/Al precursor strand in support of
reel-to-reel process
development F. Buta, M.D.
Sumption, E.W. Collings, N. Harada, E. Gregory and M.
Tomsic
Summary: Niobium-aluminum precursor
strands were fabricated using the conventional jelly roll
method with two Nb:Al volume ratios, 3:1, and 5:1. These
mono-elements were restacked in 7-, 19- and 36-core
arrangements and drawn down to wires approximately 0.8 mm and
0.4 mm in diameter. Short lengths of wire were resistively
heated under high vacuum to temperatures as high as 2200/spl
deg/C for various times, and either allowed to cool by
radiation plus lead conduction or quenched into liquid
gallium. Vacuum cooling led to a disordered A15 phase, which
was then ordered by annealing at 800/spl deg/C; gallium
quenching tended to produce the bcc phase, which could be
transformed into A15 also by annealing for various times at
800/spl deg/C. The superconducting properties of the final
wires were examined by vibrating-sample magnetometry (/spl
chi//sub dc/ and T/sub c/) as well as transport J/sub c/
measurement. Best results so far are for a 5:1 Nb:AI volume
ratio sample Ga quenched from 2000/spl deg/C with a secondary
reaction of 800/spl deg/C/3 h, giving J/sub c/=4.5/spl
times/10/sup 8/ A/m/sup 2/ at 12 T, with a T/sub c/=18-18.5
K. |
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Properties
of fiber-reinforced niobium-tin superconductor fabricated by
bronze process H. Tateishi, K.
Agatsuma, K. Arai, M. Umeda, K. Gotoh, N. Sadakata and T.
Saitoh
Summary: We are developing a fiber
reinforced type of superconductor for large scale, high-field
magnets. Formerly we used the sputtering process to develop a
niobium-tin conductor reinforced with a tungsten fiber and
showed that this type of conductor has excellent stress
tolerance. For practical applications however, a conventional
fabrication process like bronze process is desirable. Hence we
have tried to fabricate a fiber-reinforced type niobium-tin
conductor utilizing tantalum fiber as the reinforcing member,
In this conductor, each niobium-tin filament has a tantalum
core of about 20-/spl mu/m diameter, We adopted tantalum as
the core material since it has both good ductility and
mechanical strength comparable to stainless steel, This
conductor showed a reasonable critical field of about 22 T and
good mechanical strength compared to a niobium-tin conductor
fabricated by the conventional bronze process. |
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Improvements
of (NbTi)/sub 3/Sn bronze processed superconductor
performance A.K. Shikov, E.V.
Nikulenkov, N.I. Salunin, G.P. Vedernikov, E.I. Plashkin, A.E.
Vorobieva, A.G. Silaev, V.I. Pantsyrnyi, O.V. Malafeeva and
E.A. Dergunova
Summary: Research results are
given for stabilized (NbTi)/sub 3/Sn strand with titanium
artificial doped filaments. This work has been performed with
the aim to improve the critical current density of the bronze
processed strands designed for ITER. Strands with diameters in
range 0.4 mm to 1.7 mm with composite filaments containing one
or four cores made of Nb-Ti alloy as sources of doping element
have been investigated. Critical current densities for some
strands were investigated in the range of magnetic fields 8-22
T. It was shown that the strand containing 12684 filaments
with 4 cores of Nb-Ti alloy in each filament had the best
superconducting properties. J/sub c/ (non Cu) of this type of
the strand with diameter of 0.81 mm was equal to 750 A/mm/sup
2/ at 12 T and had hysteresis losses /spl sim/100 mJ/cm/sup 3/
(/spl plusmn/3 T). This value was 1.3 times larger than the
J/sub c/ value of the strand, which contained 1 core of Nb-Ti
alloy. The maximum J/sub c/ (non Cu) attained for the strand
0.5 mm in dia with 12684 filaments was equal to 900 A/mm/sup
2/ at 12 T. Hysteresis losses for this strand were also less
than 100 mJ/cm/sup 3/ (/spl plusmn/3T). It was shown that the
developed strand with four cores of Nb-Ti alloy met both ITER
Specifications HP-I and HP-II simultaneously. Also it is a
perspective material for high field
applications. |
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Recent
development of niobium-tin superconducting wire at
OST Y. Zhang, J.C. McKinnell,
R.W. Hentges and S. Hong
Summary: Oxford
Superconducting Technology (OST) produces Nb/sub 3/Sn
superconductive composites via several different fabrication
methods. We report here some aspect of improvements made in
these products. Enhancement in very high field properties have
been introduced for bronze processed composite using Nb
filaments with Ta addition and bronze matrix with Ti addition.
In modified jelly roll (MJR) composite non-copper critical
current density has been improved to over 3000 A/mm/sup 2/ at
10T by modifying design. This performance is reproduced
routinely in production. |
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The
effect of hot isostatic pressing on the strain tolerance of
the critical current density found in modified jelly roll
Nb/sub 3/Sn wires S.A. Keys, N.
Cheggour and D.P. Hampshire
Summary: The
critical current density of Hot Isostatic Pressed (HIP'ed) and
unHIP'ed Nb/sub 3/Sn Modified Jelly Roll wires has been
measured as a function of magnetic field and of strain at 4.2
K. The reversibility of critical current density was
investigated for both wires. The critical current and upper
critical field were decreased for the HIP'ed sample. The
reduced upper critical field of the HIP'ed wire was found to
be less sensitive to strain than the unHIP'ed wire. The index
(m) of the flux pinning scaling law is found to have increased
from 0.86 to 2.14 as a result of the HIP
processing. |
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Progress
in the development of Nb/sub 3/Sn conductors based on the
"Powder in tube" method with finer
filaments J.H. Londenhovius, E.M.
Hornveld, A. den Ouden, W.A.J. Wessel and H.H.J. Ten
Kate
Summary: Inspired by the successful
operation of the 11 T Nb/sub 3/Sn experimental dipole magnet
MSUT, a new large bore 10 T@4.5 K Nb/sub 3/Sn model dipole
magnet is under development in The Netherlands. For
application in this system, Shape Metal Innovation (SMI) has
developed a new "Powder in Tube" type of Nb/sub 3/Sn conductor
with an increased number of filaments. At a strand diameter of
0.9 mm, the diameter of the filaments after reaction for only
33 hours at 675/spl deg/C has been reduced to about 20
microns. The non-copper critical current density has been
measured to be as high as 1890 A/mm/sup 2/ at 10 T@4.25
K. |
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Low
field flux jumping in high performance multifilamentary Nb/sub
3/Al and Nb/sub 3/Sn composite
strands M.D. Sumption, E.W.
Collings and E. Gregory
Summary: The problem
of flux jumping in NbTi superconducting strands was solved 30
years ago by the introduction of suitably fine
multifilamentary subdivision accompanied by twisting. But with
recent advances in A15 superconductors we are entering a
regime in which J/sub c/ may be increasing at a rate faster
than effective filament diameter, d/sub eff/, can be reduced.
This is particularly true for Nb-clad melt-processed Nb/sub
3/Al strands which at fields below H/sub c2,Nb/ have
subelements which are superconductively coupled via the Nb
matrix. Control of d/sub eff/, while still requiring
attention, is less of a problem for the new very high J/sub c/
Nb/sub 3/Sn strands whose sub-elements, although fully
bridged, are still able to be reduced in size. The results of
some low field magnetization experiments are presented and
interpreted in terms of a simple model. |
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Film
orientation of RE123 prepared by chemical solution
deposition K. Yamagiwa, I.
Hirabayashi, Xiuliang Ma, J. Shibata and T.
Hirayama
Summary: We investigated processing
temperature dependencies of the preferred orientation axis of
REBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-y/ (RE123; RE=Yb, Er, Y, Gd, Sm,
Nd, Pr and La) films prepared on various substrates by
chemical solution deposition (CSD) using metal naphthenates.
In the case of RE=Er, Y, Gd and Sm prepared on SrTiO/sub 3/,
a/b-axis oriented films were obtained in a region of low
temperatures, whereas there is no such temperature region for
RE=Yb, Nd, Pr and La films. On the other hand, RE123 films
prepared on LaAlO/sub 3/ gives a/b-axis orientation in a
region of low temperatures except for Yb123 film. The (102)
pole figures of these films give four high density points with
four-fold symmetry, indicating that their axes are in-plane
aligned. In order to confirm relationship between a/b-axis
oriented growth and ionic radius of RE elements (R/sub i,RE/),
we prepared rare-earth mixed Yb/sub 1-x/Er/sub x/Ba/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-y/ and Sm/sub 1-x/Nd/sub x/Ba/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-y/ films. Orientation of these films changed
critically at certain average R/sub i,RE/'s. |
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Bulk
texture and transport properties of magnetic field/liquid
assisted textured YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ tape-cast
films J.A. Lewis and A.C.
Read
Summary: Textured YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-x/ films (thickness=250 /spl mu/m) were fabricated
by tape casting in an applied magnetic field (H=6 T). Platinum
(1 wt.%) was incorporated to induce liquid phase-assisted
densification in films fired on silver (Ag) foil to
935-942/spl deg/C under reduced pO/sub 2/(g) conditions. The
transport critical current densities (J/sub ct/) of such films
exhibited nearly field insensitive behavior between H=0-3 T
(H/spl par/c-axis) at 77 K, with J/sub ct/>1000 A/cm/sup 2/
at H=0 T. |
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High
rate deposition of 5 /spl mu/m thick YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub
7/ films using the BaF/sub 2/ ex-situ post annealing
process V.F. Solovpov, H.J.
Wiesmann, Li-Jun Wu, M. Suenaga and R.
Feenstra
Summary: We have investigated the
crystallization of thick YBCO films under various annealing
conditions. The films were deposited by high-rate
co-evaporation of Y, Cu and BaF/sub 2/ onto room-temperature
SrTiO/sub 3/ substrates at rates exceeding 10 nm/s. TEM
microscopy was performed to establish the microscopic
structure of partially processed films and help elucidate the
growth mechanism. In-situ resistivity measurements were used
to monitor the crystallization of the YBCO films during the
annealing process. Resistivity measurements and TEM microscopy
of samples at different stages of the film growth are
compared. Our results indicate that, in addition to oxygen
partial pressure, water vapor pressure is an important
parameter which defines the dynamics of film growth and
crystallization. 5 /spl mu/m thick films with J/sub
c/>2/spl times/10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/ (1 T H/spl par/c) have
been fabricated. |
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Fabrication
of YBCO thick films on cube textured Ni substrate with NiO
intermediate layer C.F. Liu, X.
Wu, F.Y. Wang, Z.J. Yang, Y. Feng, P.X. Zhang, X.Z. Wu and L.
Zhou
Summary: High quality, sharp cube
textured Ni substrates have been fabricated by a cold rolling
and a recrystallization annealing process. X ray results show
that there are some problems to be noted in the prevalent
quality evaluation for a cube textured Ni substrate.
In-plane-aligned, c axis-oriented YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/
(YBCO) thick films were grown on the textured Ni substrate
with self-oxidized NiO intermediate layer by an ink-printed
and floating zone heating method. The values of the
resistively measured T/sub c/ (onset) were 86 K. This is a
very useful and promising method for producing the long YBCO
tapes with high J/sub c/, although J/sub c/ is lower at
present. |
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Filamentary
YBCO conductors for AC
applications W.J. Carr Jr. and
C.E. Oberly
Summary: High current density
YBCO conductors as they are presently conceived for use at
liquid nitrogen temperatures are in the form of tapes, usually
the order of a centimeter in width and suitable only for dc
use. Possibilities for developing similar YBCO conductors for
ac applications are discussed, and the ac loss expected from
such conductors is computed. The conversion from a dc to an ac
conductor requires breaking up a wide-tape dc conductor into
narrow strip-like filaments which spiral about the conductor
axis. Various ways of producing this pattern are
proposed. |
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Microstructure
and texture evolution in oxide films prepared by ion-beam
assisted laser deposition B.
Holzapfel, V. Betz, D. Schlafer, H.-D. Bauer and L.
Schultz
Summary: Using Ion-Beam Assisted
Laser Deposition (IBALD), biaxially oriented films of Yttria
stabilized Zirconia were deposited on polycrystalline and
amorphous substrates. The film texture in dependence of
deposition parameters was examined with X-ray texture
analysis. As deposited films were analyzed by transmission
electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. All films
showed a columnar film growth structure. The diameter of the
columns increased with film thickness and could be related to
the film in-plane orientation. The nucleation process was
found to be polycrystalline and independent of the ion-beam
assistance. At an early growth stage, a growth structure of
[001] oriented columns emerges from the randomly oriented
crystallites. The film in-plane texture forms in a competition
of [001] oriented columns, where columns oriented with their
[111] axis parallel to the impinging ion-beam dominate the
film texture. The out-of plane growth orientation was found to
depend on substrate temperature and laser energy density,
while the ion-beam affects mainly the in-plane
orientation. |
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Melt
growth and superconducting properties of textured Ag-YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ conductors S.
Pinol, T. Puig, B. Martinez, X. Obradors and J.M.
Chimenos
Summary: Textured Ag foils 200 /spl
mu/m thick have been obtained after cold rolling and
recrystallization at 800/spl deg/C with a reduction ratio of
up to 95%. Subsequently, a thick layer of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7/ (20 /spl mu/m) has been deposited by screen
printing, A directional solidification process under a
temperature gradient with displacement velocity between 1 mm/h
and 10 mm/h has been performed to induce a biaxial texture to
the superconducting layer. This last treatment has been
performed at low P(O/sub 2/) atmosphere and at maximum
temperatures below 945/spl deg/C. The texture of the layers
has been studied by X-ray diffraction, rocking curves and pole
figures, whilst the critical currents have been measured
inductively by SQUID magnetometry. The relationship between
the in-plane crystalline orientation and the observed critical
currents has been discussed. |
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Magnetic
field anisotropy of high critical current YBCO coated
conductors J.Y. Coulter, J.O.
Willis, M.M. Mann, P.C. Dowden, S.R. Foltyn, P.N. Arendt, J.R.
Groves, R.F. DePaula, M.P. Maley and D.E.
Peterson
Summary: High critical current
(>100 A) YBCO thick films, or coated conductors, are being
developed for superconductor applications. The critical
current I/sub c/ of these materials exhibits a magnetic field
dependence that depends on the angle of the applied field.
Measurement of this anisotropy is critical to the development
of high temperature superconductor applications. We have
developed the capability to characterize the magnetic field
anisotropy of large, high critical current YBCO
superconductors as a function of angle. We have measured the
magnetic field anisotropy of the critical current in the H/spl
perp/I orientation of three samples in fields from 0 to 7 T
and at temperatures from 75 K to 64 K. The results of these
measurements characterize the field dependence of these
materials and reveal performance issues of importance to
applications. In contrast to previous measurements on thin
films, which show that I/sub c/ for the H/spl par/c
orientation has the strongest field dependence, we demonstrate
that the intermediate angle of /spl sim/45/spl deg/ to the
normal to the tape plane shows the greatest field dependence
for these coated conductors on technical substrates. The field
performance, anisotropy, and temperature dependence are
discussed in relation to sample quality. |
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Processing
dependence of biaxial texture in yttria-stabilized zirconia by
ion-beam-assisted deposition M.P.
Chudzik, M.T. Lanagan and C.R. Kannewurf
Summary:
Biaxially textured yttria (8 mol%)-stabilized zirconia
(YSZ) thin films were deposited on randomly oriented Hastelloy
C and Stainless Steel 304 at room temperature as a buffer
layer for subsequent deposition of oriented YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub x/ films. The 0.16-1.3 /spl mu/m thick YSZ films were
deposited by e-beam evaporation at rates of 1.2-3.2 /spl
Aring//sec. Biaxially textured films were produced with an
Ar/O/sub 2/ ion beam directed at the substrate during film
growth. X-ray diffraction was used to study in-plane and
out-of-plane orientation as a function of ion bombardment
angle, film thickness, ion-to-atom flux ratio, and substrate
material. In-plane and out-of-plane average-misorientation
angles on these YSZ films that were deposited by
ion-beam-assisted deposition were as low as 17 and 5.4/spl
deg/, respectively, on as-received substrates. |
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Axial
strain dependence at 77 K of the critical current of thick
YBaCuO films on Ni-alloy substrates with IBAD buffer
layers C.L.H. Thieme, E.
Fleshler, D.M. Buczek, M. Jowett, L.G. Fritzemeier, P.N.
Arendt, S.R. Foltyn, J.Y. Coulter and J.O.
Willis
Summary: The strain sensitivity of
YBCO coated conductors has been investigated by measuring the
critical current density J/sub c/ in self field at 77K, as a
function of applied tensile strain. The YBCO coated conductor
used an Inconel substrate. One side was coated with a
biaxially textured YSZ buffer layer, using
ion-beam-assisted-deposition (IBAD), and was subsequently
coated with a 2.5 micron thick YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl
delta// layer by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The
superconductor was then coated with a silver cap layer. For
the I/sub c/-strain measurements 78 mm long sections were cut
from a 115 cm long length. This was previously produced to
demonstrate the feasibility of long YBCO coated conductors
using the IBAD process. At 77K up to 0.5% strain does not
change J/sub c/ by more than 3% This strain dependence is
better than the tensile stress dependence of J/sub c/ when
samples are bent at room temperature. |
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The
microstructure of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta//
films and yttria stabilised zirconia buffer layers deposited
on inclined Hastelloy
substrates W.A.J. Quinton, W.Y.
Liang, F. Baudenbacher, D.T. Foord, A.P. Bramley and S.B.
Newcomb
Summary: YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub
7-/spl delta// films have been grown on polycrystalline
metallic substrates using intermediate yttria stabilised
zirconia (YSZ) buffer layers. The buffer layers were grown by
pulsed laser deposition using the inclined substrate
deposition technique, whereby the substrate is tilted so that
the ablated species arrive under an oblique incidence angle.
One of the consequences of the inclined geometry is the
alignment of the buffer layer crystal grains within the plane
of the film which enables the subsequent deposition of YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// films With J/sub c/s of up to
10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/. We present results showing that the
optimum substrate inclination angle for the YSZ buffer layer
deposition is around 55/spl deg/, and that the in-plane
alignment improves linearly with film thickness. We also show
transmission electron micrographs which demonstrate that grain
sizes get larger and appear to be better aligned towards the
buffer layer surface. We use these results to propose a
mechanism by which texture occurs during inclined substrate
deposition. The mechanism is based on three requirements
inferred from our microstructural data: columnar growth,
tilting of grains towards the incoming ablated species, and a
preferred growth orientation normal to the substrate
surface. |
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YBCO
films on metal substrates with biaxially aligned MgO buffer
layers M. Bauer, R. Semerad and
H. Kinder
Summary: We successfully deposited
high quality YBCO films on metal tapes with biaxially aligned
MgO buffer layers. e-gun evaporation on inclined substrates
with a very high deposition rate of up to 250 nm/min was used
for the deposition of the buffer layers. The MgO layers are
biaxially textured with an in-plane full width at half maximum
of 80. The MgO [001]-axis is not parallel to the substrate
normal but tilted significantly towards the deposition
direction. YBCO films were deposited on ISD buffer layers by
reactive thermal co-evaporation. The critical current density
of the films was found to be anisotropic due to the tilt of
the [001]-axis. Critical current densities up to 7.9/spl
times/10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K were
achieved. |
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Direct
deposition of c-axis textured MBCO thick film on unoriented
metallic substrate for the development of long superconducting
tapes Xuejun Wen, Dehui Qu, B.A.
Tent, Donglu Shi, M. Tomsic, L. Cowey and M.
White
Summary: Direct peritectic growth (DPG)
is a novel process in which textured YBCO thick films are
deposited directly onto an unoriented silver alloy. No buffer
layer is employed between the YBCO superconducting film and
the silver alloy substrate. The textured YBCO grains have been
obtained through peritectic solidification over a wide range
of temperature and time. No observable reaction of the
substrate was found with the YBCO melt at the maximum
processing temperatures near the peritectic point (from
950/spl deg/C to 1030/spl deg/C). The transport J/sub c/ has
reached a respectable value of 8/spl times/10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup
2/ at 77 K and in zero magnetic field. In this paper, we show
that the DPG method is capable of producing highly textured
YBCO thick films, which are scalable to long lengths with low
cost. |
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Cracking
of rare earth barium cuprate films prepared by liquid phase
epitaxy T. Aichele, P. Gornert,
R. Uecker and M. Muhlberg
Summary: A high
growth rate of REBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta//
(RE=rare earth elements) superconducting films is achieved
with liquid phase epitaxy. The occurrence of cracks is one of
the major problems for applications of these thick films. To
achieve crack free films, it is necessary to understand the
formation of cracks in REBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl
delta// films. Investigations were carried out on YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// and (Y,Pr)Ba/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// films on NdGaO/sub 3/ substrates and on
new SrPrGaO/sub 4/ substrates with tetragonal K/sub 2/NiF/sub
4/ structure (space group I4/mmm). A thermodynamic model for
understanding the crack spacing together with mechanical
properties determined in melt textured YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// bulk samples was applied. |
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Bench
scale evaluation of batch mode dip-coating of sol-gel
LaAlO/sub 3/ buffer material A.
Sheth, V. Lasrado, M. White and M.
Paranthaman
Summary: In a joint program
between the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) and
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), thin films of lanthanum
aluminate (LAO) were formed on [100] strontium titanate (STO)
single crystals and on biaxially textured nickel by
dip-coating from sol-gel precursors and then annealing. XRD
texture measurements were used to evaluate coating parameters
including substrate withdrawal speed, degree of hydrolysis,
and thermal processing temperature, duration, and atmosphere.
LAO films on the order of 1000 thick showed 100% biaxial
epitaxy on STO single crystals but only about 50% in-plane
epitaxy on nickel. An increase in substrate withdrawal
velocity resulted in thicker films. On STO film texture
degraded with increased film thickness, but on nickel this
effect was not noted, being obscured as a result of the rather
poor and variable texture of the nickel substrate used. LAO on
STO texture was improved by increases, within the ranges
investigated, in the degree of hydrolysis, and in the thermal
processing time, temperature, and oxygen concentration. No
impediments to production scale-up were found. |
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High-T/sub
c/ coated conductors-performance of meter-long YBCO/IBAD
flexible tapes S.R. Foltyn, P.N.
Arendt, P.C. Dowden, R.F. DePaula, J.R. Groves, J.Y. Coulter,
Quanxi Jia, M.P. Maley and D.E. Peterson
Summary:
One meter long tapes based on 50-100 /spl mu/m thick by
1 cm wide nickel alloy substrates have been coated in a
continuous process with a textured yttria-stabilized zirconia
layer by ion beam-assisted deposition, followed by a 1-2 /spl
mu/m thick layer of YBCO by pulsed laser deposition. The best
result to date is a tape with a critical current (I/sub c/) at
75 K of 96 A over an 87 cm measurement length. The overall
critical current density and engineering current density are 1
MA/cm/sup 2/ and 10 kA/cm/sup 2/, respectively. Using a
special probe, individual I-V curves were generated for each
centimeter of tape length in order to investigate longitudinal
uniformity of the transport properties: the highest and lowest
I/sub c/ values fall within a range of /spl
plusmn/25%. |
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Y-Ba-Cu-O
film deposition by metal organic chemical vapor deposition on
buffered metal substrates V.
Selvamanickam, G. Galinski, J. DeFrank, C. Trautwein, P.
Haldar, U. Balachandran, M. Lanagan and M.
Chudzik
Summary: YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x/
(YBCO) films have been deposited on buffered metal substrates
by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).
Cube-textured nickel substrates were fabricated by a
thermomechanical process, epitaxial CeO/sub 2/ films were
deposited on these substrates by thermal evaporation. Nickel
alloy substrates with biaxially-textured Yttria-Stabilized
Zirconia (YSZ) buffer layers deposited by ion beam assisted
deposition were also prepared. Highly biaxially textured YBCO
films were deposited by MOCVD on both types of metal
substrates. A critical current density greater than 105
A/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K has been achieved in YBCO films on metal
substrates. |
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Growth
and characterization of oxide buffer layers for YBCO coated
conductors M.W. Rupich, W. Palm,
W. Zhang, E. Siegal, S. Annavarapu, L. Fritzemeier, M.D.
Teplitsky, C. Thieme and M. Paranthaman
Summary:
Metal oxide films were grown on single crystal oxide
substrates and deformation textured metal substrates by a
metal organic deposition technique using metal alkoxides as
the starting precursor materials. The crystallinity, grain
alignment, and morphology of the oxide films depend on the
process conditions and the substrate properties. Epitaxial
oxide films were grown under a range of oxygen partial
pressures and temperatures required for film formation on
technologically important metal substrates. YBCO films grown
on epitaxial LaAlO/sub 3/ buffer layers on single crystal
SrTiO/sub 3/ had J/sub c/'s of 2.2 MA/cm/sup 2/ (77 K,
self-field) demonstrating the quality of the MOD derived oxide
films. |
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High
critical current density thick MOD-derived YBCO
films J.A. Smith, M.J. Cima and
N. Sonnenberg
Summary: High critical current
density thick MOD (metal-organic-deposition)-derived Ba/sub
2/YCu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ (BYC) films have been prepared on
latticed matched single crystal lanthanum aluminate
substrates. Critical current densities of approximately one
million amps per square centimeter (at 77 K) have been
obtained from one micron thick BYC films. These
superconducting films were prepared from a single MOD coating.
Substrate coatings of a mixed metal trifluoroacetate precursor
were first converted into high quality mixed metal oxyfluoride
films by heat treating under controlled conditions. These
films were then patterned and subsequently converted into
epitaxial BYC by exposure to water vapor at higher
temperatures, High critical current density films were
obtained by controlling the conversion kinetics of the mixed
metal oxyfluoride films into BYC. |
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Critical
current density in highly biaxially-oriented YBCO films: Can
we control J/sub c/(77 K) and optimize up to more than 10/sup
6/ amp/cm/sup 2/? V.M. Pan, A.L.
Kasatkin, V.L. Svetchnikov, V.A. Komashko, A.G. Popov, A.Yu.
Galkin, H.C. Freyhardt and H.W. Zandbergen
Summary:
High-J/sub c/ YBCO conductors of the second generation
are based on processing of YBCO highly-textured film, It is
important to develop deposition techniques to control and
optimize flux pinning in such films. The dominant contribution
to net pinning force in YBCO films is from the growth-induced
dislocations. The average density of such dislocations in
low-angle tilt domain boundaries can exceed 10/sup 11//cm/sup
2/. For 2D fluxline lattice (FLL) correlated disorder induced
by linear defects, a simplified approach is proposed to get
some optimization criteria for the critical current density as
a function of domain size, misorientation angle, etc. During
YBCO films deposition onto highly-textured buffer layers
growth dislocation structures can be varied, Comparison of the
high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM) data
and J/sub c/(H) angular dependencies for CeO/sub 2/-buffered
YBCO films exhibit how the dislocation distribution can affect
the angular J/sub c/(H) behavior. |
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Fabrication
of in-plane aligned YBCO films on polycrystalline Ni tapes
buffered with surface-oxidized NiO
layers K. Matsumoto, Seokbeom
Kim, Jian-Guo Wen, I. Hirabayashi, T. Watanabe, N. Uno and M.
Ikeda
Summary: Strongly in-plane aligned,
c-axis oriented YBCO films were successfully grown on
polycrystalline nickel tapes buffered with [100]-oriented NiO
layers. The in-plane and out-of-plane alignments of the NiO
layer were achieved by a surface-oxidation epitaxy (SOE)
technique using a [100]<001> cube-textured nickel tape.
The in-plane textures of NiO layers fabricated so far with the
full width half maximum (FWHM) values of 11-13 degrees are
sufficient for the epitaxial growth of high-J/sub c/ YBCO
films. Pulsed laser deposited YBCO layers on the NiO/Ni tapes
were not only c-axis oriented with respect to the type
surface, but also strongly in-plane aligned. The YBCO films on
NiO/Ni tapes have a zero resistance T/sub c/=87 K and J/sub
c/=10/sup 4/-10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K. |
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Simultaneous
double-sided deposition of HTS films on 3-inch wafers by
ICM-sputtering J. Geerk, F.
Ratzel, H. Rietschel, G. Linker, R. Heidinger and R.
Schwab
Summary: The construction of a system
which allows simultaneous deposition of HTS films on both
sides of 3-inch wafers is described. The wafers are placed in
a heating cavity which can be heated to 1000/spl deg/C.
Deposition is accomplished through two opposite holes in the
cavity by inverted cylindrical magnetron (ICM) sputtering
guns. YBaCuO films deposited on 3 inch CeO/sub 2/ buffered
sapphire substrates revealed a growth quality and T/sub c/ and
j/sub c/ values comparable to standard films with sufficient
uniformity on both sides of the wafer. The surface resistance
of the films measured in the frequency range of 2.68 to 145
GHz is 20 m/spl Omega/ at the highest frequency. |
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In-situ
monitoring during PLD of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl
delta// using RHEED at high oxygen
pressure G.J.H.M. Rijnders, G.
Koster, D.H.A. Blank and H. Rogalla
Summary:
The surface morphology and initial growth of YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub u-/spl delta//, using Pulsed Laser Deposition
(PLD), have been subject to in many studies. Both, Scanning
Probe Microscopy (SPM) as well as Reflection High Energy
Electron Diffraction (RHEED) have been applied. The latter is
mostly operated using modified deposition parameters, like a
reduced oxygen pressure. Here, we have studied the initial
growth using a PLD-RHEED system at standard PLD pressures. In
this system, in-situ RHEED can be applied in a background
pressure of oxygen up to 50 Pa. The initial growth of YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// on SrTiO/sub 3/ substrates is
studied. The influence of the substrate termination, i.e., SrO
or TiO/sub 2/, on the growth will be discussed. |
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Superconducting
properties of Cu/sub 1-x/Tl/sub x/-1223 [Cu/sub 1-x/Tl/sub
x/(Ba,Sr)/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 10-y/] thin
films H. Ihara, Y. Sekita, H.
Tateai, N.A. Khan, K. Ishida, E. Harashima, T. Kojima, H.
Yamamoto, K. Tanaka, Y. Tanaka, N. Terada and H.
Obara
Summary: The bi-axially-oriented thin
films of Cu/sub 1-x/Tl/sub x/(Ba,Sr)/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 10-y/(Cu/sub 1-x/Tl/sub x/-1223: x=0.2-1.0) were
prepared by an amorphous phase epitaxy (APE) technique on
SrTiO/sub 3/ substrates. The amorphous phase was deposited by
sputtering on the substrate and annealed in a thallium
atmosphere at /spl sim/885/spl deg/C for /spl sim/50 min.
Their T/sub c/ values were 100-113 K and higher than those of
the YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-y/ (Y-123, that is, Cu-1212)
system. Their J/sub c/ values were 2/spl times/10/sup 7/
A/cm/sup 2/ (77 K, 0 T) and 4/spl times/10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/
(77 K, 10 T) at their maximum for x/spl sim/0.5. The J/sub c/
values were higher than the maximum values of Y-123 thin films
by a factor of 2. The high J/sub c/ values are consistent with
the low superconducting anisotropy (/spl gamma/=/spl xi//sub
ab///spl xi//sub c/=2.5-4) of Cu/sub 1-x/Tl/sub x/-1223 and
its high T/sub c/. |
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Remarkable
properties of Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O thin films following post-growth
high-temperature annealing M.P.
Siegal, D.L. Overmyer, E.L. Venturini, R.R. Padilla and P.N.
Provencio
Summary: Tl-2212 and Tl-1212 are
the two easiest unsubstituted Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O superconducting
thin films to grow. Both phases exhibit T/sub c//spl ges/95 K,
J/sub c/(5 K)>10 MA/cm/sup 2/ and smooth morphologies. We
report on the properties of both materials following one hour
furnace anneals in dry ambients of pure oxygen or nitrogen at
temperatures ranging from 50-700/spl deg/C. The stability of
these films to high temperatures in each ambient is important
for device processing. Of equal interest is the controlled
partial volatilization of Tl-oxide at modest temperatures from
nano-site regions within Tl-1212 films. We correlate such
modifications with increases in flux pinning strength in
Tl-1212 films. Tl-2212 films maintain their superconducting
properties to even higher temperatures than Tl-1212 films.
Optimum annealing appears to also increase flux pinning,
although not to the same degree as for Tl-1212
films. |
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Development
of high performance Nb-Ti(Fe) multifilamentary superconductor
for the LHC insertion
quadrupoles P.J. Lee, C.M.
Fischer, W. Gabr-Rayan, D.C. Larbalestier, M.T. Naus, A.A.
Squitieri, W.L. Starch, E.Z.A. Barzi, P.J. Limon, G. Sabbi, A.
Zlobin, H. Kanithi, S. Hong, J.C. McKinnell and D.
Neff
Summary: A development program was
initiated in order to develop strand with improved current
density at 10.5 T and 1.9 K over existing SSCL designs. The
two successful strand designs reported on here both utilized
high Fe content Nb-47 wt%Ti alloys to improve the critical
current density at high field by 7 %. At 10.5 T and 1.9 K,
critical current densities exceeding 1450 A/mm/sup 2/ were
obtained. In this paper we report detailed quantification of
the macro- and micro-structures of these strands and correlate
these with critical current density measurements at 1.9 K and
4.2 K. The high Fe content significantly reduced the /spl
alpha/-Ti precipitate size. The linear relationship between
critical current density and precipitate volume found is in
agreement with earlier studies. High resolution FESEM electron
backscatter contrast suggests a thin layer of high atomic
number at grain boundaries. |
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Evaluations
of Nb-25 wt.%Ti alloy wires K.
Tachikawa, N. Abe and Y. Yamada
Summary: An
arc-melted Nb-25 wt.%Ti alloy was fabricated into monocore
wires with Cu matrix. The structure and superconducting
properties of the wires were compared with those of Nb-46.5
wt.%Ti and Nb-36 wt.%Ti wires prepared by similar process. The
formation of a thick Cu-Ti-Nb compound layer is observed at
the Cu/Nb-46.5Ti interface after heat treatment at above
600/spl deg/C. A thin compound layer is also formed at the
Cu/Nb-36Ti interface after heat treatment. Meanwhile, no
compound layer is observed at the Cu/Nb-25Ti interface. This
is a major advantage of Nb-25Ti wire, which may save the
wrapping of Nb foil around the cores to prevent the reaction
with the Cu matrix, when they are fabricated into fine
filaments. The T/sub c/ of Nb-25Ti wire is about 0.7 K higher
than that of Nb-46.5Ti wire. The T/sub c/ and B/sub c2/ of
Nb-25Ti wire are less sensitive to the reduction in diameter
and the heat treatment compared to the Nb-46.5Ti wire. The
B/sub c2/(4.2 K) of Nb-25Ti as wire seems to be high enough
for AC applications. The addition of boron enhances the T/sub
c/ and B/sub c2/ of Nb-25Ti alloy. |
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Some
properties of NbTiTa ternary
alloys E. Gregory and T.
Pyon
Summary: There is a need for a
relatively low cost, trouble free material for use in
intermediate field (10.5T to 11.0T) accelerator magnets. These
would operate at 1.9 K and the aim is to produce ductile
material with properties superior, at that temperature, to
those of the 46.5 wt.% Ti 53.5 wt.% Nb binary alloy. Three
alloys were plasma melted to ensure high homogeneity. The
compositions were, in weight percentage, Ta17Ti44Nb39
Ta28Ti41Nb31, Ta12Ti46Nb42. These three alloys were processed
as monofilamentary material and tested after a series of
different heat treatments. Attempts were made to optimize
J/sub c/ for each of the compositions at 4.2 K and these
samples were then tested at 1.9 K and the shift in the field
for a constant J/sub c/ determined. A similar investigation on
multifilamentary materials of these compositions is now being
carried out. |
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Development
of high performance multifilamentary Nb-Ti-Ta superconductor
for LHC insertion
quadrupoles P.J. Lee, C.M.
Fischer, D.C. Larbalestier, M.T. Naus, A.A. Squitieri, W.L.
Starch, J. Werner, P.J. Limon, C. Sabbi, A. Zlobin and E.
Gregory
Summary: A preliminary investigation
of a new Nb-Ti-Ta (39 wt.%Nb, 44 wt.%Ti, 17 wt.%Ta) alloy has
been investigated as a possible material for application at
1.9 K and 10.5 T in the insertion quadrupoles of LHC, 1550
A/mm/sup 2/, the highest yet reported critical current density
at 10.5 T (1.9 K), was achieved in a monofilament of this
material. The initial multifilamentary production strand
produced a lower 10.5 T (1.9 K) critical current density of
1370 A/mm/sup 2/. Large variations in precipitate size were
produced in the microstructures, which have yet to be fully
optimized. Quantitative analysis of the microstructures in a
Nb-44 wt.%Ti-15 wt.%Ta alloy reveals a linear relationship
between volume % of /spl alpha/-Ti precipitate and critical
current density at 5 T and 8 T (4.2 K). The increase in
critical current with precipitate volume is less than for
Nb-47 wt.%Ti. High resolution FESEM electron backscatter
images suggest a high atomic number region adjacent to the
grain boundaries after heat treatment. |
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Fabrication
and characterization of (rare-earth)-barium-copper-oxide
(RE123 with RE=Y, Er, and Sm)
films C. Kwon, L.R. Kinder, Y.
Gim, Y. Fan, J.Y. Coulter, M.P. Maley, S.R. Foltyn, D.E.
Peterson and Q.X. Jia
Summary: Epitaxial
(rare-earth)Ba/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ films, RE123, with
RE=Y, Er, and Sm have been fabricated using pulsed laser
deposition on various single crystal substrates. Deposition of
each material is optimized for T/sub c/. T/sub c/ values of
89.9 K, 91.0 K, and 93.0 K are obtained for Er123, Y123, and
Sm123, respectively. T/sub c/ in RE123 films increases with
increasing the ionic size of the rare-earth element as
observed in bulk. Study of field- and angle-dependent J/sub c/
shows that the vortex pinning anisotropy is also affected by
the rare-earth element. The Sm123 film has the best pinning
characteristics in high magnetic fields among the investigated
materials. The results will be discussed in relation to the
crystal chemistry and internal stress due to the ionic size of
rare-earth element. |
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Doping
study of superconductivity in YBCO films by ion
implantation S.H. Hong, H. Xu, E.
Gao, S. Sahba and Q.Y. Ma
Summary: We present
the results of doping by ion implantation in YBCO films with 5
different ions (Ca, Na, Mg, Be, Li). Ion selection is based on
the difference of ionic radii and heat of formation value.
Ionic radii plays a critical role to crystal damage in the
implantation process. Ni ions were implanted to YBCO films
with different doses so that the resistance of the implanted
film was varied. Different values of resistance of the Ni
implanted structures were applied to the fabrication of chip
resistors. |
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Analysis
of growth conditions of SmBaCuO thin
films A. Di Trolio, A. Morone, S.
Orlando, U. Gambardella and S. Pace
Summary:
In this paper we analyze the critical temperature of
SmBaCuO thin film grown by means of pulsed laser deposition as
a function of the relevant deposition parameters, i.e., the
pressure of the reactive oxygen atmosphere and the substrate
temperature. We used a Nd-YAG radiation at 532 nm. The films
have been deposited either on oriented magnesium oxide [100]
or on strontium titanate [100] single crystals. The substrate
temperature range spans from 650/spl deg/C to 800/spl deg/C,
and the oxygen pressure is in the range (10/sup -5/-4/spl
times/10/sup -1/) mbar. In these ranges of parameters we get
metallic behavior of the resistance vs. temperature, with an
onset of the critical temperature up to 91 K. XRD
characterizations showed the orientation of c axis normal to
the substrate surface. |
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Influence
of target processing on properties of NdBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// films grown by PLD: comparison of
sintered ceramic and single crystal
targets Y. Le and K.
Tanabe
Summary: The influence of target
processing on properties of deposited NBCO films, including
superconductivity, epitaxial structure, and surface morphology
has been systematically investigated between a large Nd123
single crystal and slightly Ba-rich Nd/sub 1-x/Ba/sub
2+x/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// (x=0.00, 0.03, 0.05, and
0.10) sintered ceramic targets. The films with excellent
superconductivity and good crystallinity were grown on
SrTiO/sub 3/ [100], LaAlO/sub 3/ [100], and NdGaO/sub 3/ [110]
substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). At optimized
deposition conditions, T/sub c0/ of 90-94 K is routinely
achieved. The critical current density J/sub c/ is >3/spl
times/10/sup 6/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K. The films deposited from
sintered targets exhibit a typical droplet density of 10/sup
6/-10/sup 7//cm/sup 2/ on the film surface. However, the films
deposited from the single crystal target show smooth nearly
droplet-free surface morphology. Our results indicate that
single crystal targets are more suitable for the growth of
smooth high-T/sub c/ superconducting films by
PLD. |
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Preparation
and characterization of NdBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/ thin
films W.H. Tang and J.
Gao
Summary: C-axis oriented epitaxial
NdBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/ thin films on [100] SrTiO/sub 3/
substrates were prepared by off-axis rf sputtering. Thin films
with T/sub c0/=90 K in a deviation of 0.5 K were prepared
reproducibly under the optimal depositing conditions. A
parabolic relation of T/sub c0/ to c-axis lattice parameter
corresponding to a typical electronic phase diagram for
high-T/sub c/ superconductors was observed, indicating an
optimal oxygen content for the best superconductivity. The
oxygen out-diffusion and thermal expansion of the films were
studied by an in-situ high temperature x-ray
diffraction. |
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Critical
current measurements on long BSCCO tapes using a contact-free
method M.D. Bentzon and P.
Vase
Summary: Experimental results showing
I/sub c/ versus length for long Ag/Bi(Pb)-2223 multifilament
tapes are presented. The results are obtained using a
contact-free method (Hall probe) measuring the shielding and
remanent magnetic fields created by tapes when exposed to an
external magnetic field. The main goal of this paper is to
study the potentials of the applied method and the study
includes reproducibility, resolution, non-destructiveness and
usefulness in the production of tapes. The results show that
the reproducibility is so high that the method can be used to
identify individual tapes by their signal pattern and the
spatial resolution is demonstrated to be as good as a few mm.
The non-destructiveness is generally good. The first
cycle/re-coiling of a tape may decrease the critical current
by less than 2%, and each following cycle is observed to have
an effect of less than 0.5%. This contact-free method offers
the tape manufacturer a detailed picture of the
superconductive properties of the final product and is
therefore a good tool for product development and quality
control. |
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Homogeneity
studies of multifilamentary BSCCO tapes by three-axis Hall
sensor magnetometry J. Paasi, T.
Kalliohaka, A. Korpela, L. Soderlund, P.F. Hermann, J.
Kvitkovic and M. Majoros
Summary: A new
generation of Hall sensor magnetometer for non-destructive
studies of superconductor homogeneity is proposed and tested.
The magnetometer allows us to measure the three-dimensional
spatial dependence of all three components of magnetic field
produced by applied or induced currents in the conductor. This
new technique is more sensitive to detect small obstacles in
the current path than the old Hall sensor techniques measuring
only the field component perpendicular to the flat surface of
the conductor. Having presented the measurement system, the
method is demonstrated by experiments on multifilamentary
BSCCO tapes. |
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Experimental
investigation of a local mixed state induced by a small
ferroparticle in YBaCuO
films Yu.N. Nozdrin, A.S.
Mel'nikov, I.D. Tokman, P.P. Vysheslavtsev, A.Yu. Aladyshkin,
E.B. Kluenkov and A.K. Vorobiev
Summary:
Direct local measurements of the characteristics of a
mixed state induced by a magnetic field of a small
ferromagnetic particle have been carried out in thin film
YBaCuO samples, using a scanning Hall probe. The results
provide evidence for an extremely low energy barrier for entry
of vortex half-loops into high quality films and further
breaking of these half-loops into vortex-antivortex pairs. The
observed phenomena are consistent with the Josephson medium
model. We obtained the temperature dependence of the
intergrain critical current density, which points to strong
pair breaking effects at the grain boundaries. |
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Continuous
recording of the transport properties of a superconducting
tape using an AC magnetic field
technique B. ten Haken, R.A.M.
Budde, H.H.J. ten Kae, M.D. Bentzon and P.
Vase
Summary: The transport properties of
superconductors are commonly characterized by means of a
4-probe measuring technique and the critical current is
determined on a certain criterion for the electrical field. An
alternative method to investigate the transport properties is
to measure the magnetic response of a superconductor in a
changing magnetic field. This magnetic technique has the
interesting advantage that it can be used to investigate long
lengths of (insulated) conductor. A detailed analysis is made
to develop a reliable measuring procedure for this new test
facility. The magnetic response of a superconductor is modeled
in a description for an infinitely long tape with a
rectangular cross-section and an arbitrary voltage-current
relation. The calculated magnetic profiles, in space and time,
are compared with experimental results at 77 K. It is
demonstrated that the magnetic signal can be used to monitor
the quality of a long length of tape (>500 m) with a high
accuracy. Additionally it is shown that the shape of the
voltage-current relation can be reconstructed based on the
frequency dependence of the magnetic response. |
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Current
and field penetration in a superconductor in the field of a
permanent magnet C. Navau and A.
Sanchez
Summary: We calculate the current and
field profiles in a finite cylindrical type-II superconducting
sample which result from displacing it within the magnetic
field created by a coaxial permanent magnet. The method of
calculation is based on minimizing the magnetic energy in the
superconductor, by introducing currents with a maximum
density, following the critical-state model. The effects of
the superconductor finite size are fully incorporated in the
calculations. The levitation force of such a system is
calculated from the previous results. |
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Implications
of low angle YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ bicrystal transport
characteristics for coated conductor
applications N.F. Heinig, G.A.
Daniels, M. Feldmann, A. Polyanskii, D.C. Larbelestier, P.
Arendt and S. Foltyn
Summary: Coated
conductor (CC) YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ prototypes can
now be made with critical current density, J/sub c/ (77 K, 0
T), values of 1-2 MA/cm/sup 2/ and full width half maximum
(FWHM) in-plane misalignments of 7/spl deg/-15/spl deg/. In
order to understand better the current paths in such
conductors, we have measured extended electric field-current
density (E-J) characteristics in fields of 0-9 T at 77 K,
comparing the data to that obtained on thin film bicrystals.
We find that the E-J curves of the CC show little sign of weak
coupling. We also investigate the role sample thickness plays
in intergranular high field transport by measuring E-J curves
up to 8 Tesla on 7/spl deg/[001] tilt bicrystal films with
thickness between 75 and 300 nm. We see that the intergrain
irreversibility field increases with thickness, much as has
been seen in single crystal samples. Magneto-optic imaging and
scanning electron microscopy show that porosity in the YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ layer and scratches in the ceramic
buffer layers can also control J/sub c/. These results show
that the critical current density of coated conductors is
limited on several length scales and by several different
defect types. |
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The
use of cubic Nd-Ba-Cu-O seeds to create /spl theta/[100],
90/spl deg/-/spl theta/[100], and /spl theta/[001] tilt
Y-Ba-Cu-O grain boundaries M.B.
Field, T.A. Byrne and D.J. Miller
Summary:
Using seeding techniques to control the orientation of
grains, we have been able to create a wide variety of YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 6+x/ grain boundaries. In addition to five
domain samples with 90/spl deg/[100] twist and tilt grain
boundaries, we have now developed a method to produce grain
boundaries in the same sample that have the misorientations
/spl theta/[001] tilt, /spl theta/[100] tilt, and 90/spl
deg/-/spl theta/[100], where the misorientation angle /spl
theta/ is fully controllable. We will demonstrate how these
boundaries can be synthesized, give experimental evidence via
polarized light microscopy and electron backscatter patterns
(EBSP) that the intended grain boundaries were indeed formed,
and discuss the importance of these boundaries in future grain
boundary studies. |
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Transport
properties of Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl
delta// bicrystals with [100] tilt grain
boundaries Y.N. Tsay, Q. Li, Y.
Zhu, M. Suenaga, K. Shibutani, I. Shigaki and R.
Ogawa
Summary: We have successfully isolated
more than a dozen of naturally-grown [100] tilt Bi/sub
2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl delta// (Bi-2212)
bicrystals for the study of the transport properties of the
grain boundary. These bicrystals contain a single clean [100]
non-basal-plane-faced tilt grain boundary with various degrees
of misorientation. Systematic transport measurements of these
grain boundaries were performed in a wide range of temperature
and magnetic field by measuring the resistance and the
current-voltage characteristics for both single crystals and
grain boundaries simultaneously. In addition, the
microstructures of the grain boundaries in some of these
bicrystals were studied by both conventional TEM and
high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). |
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Contribution
of grain boundary planes to superconducting coupling in
YBCO M. Mironova, S. Stolbov,
Guoping Du and K. Salama
Summary: High-angle
grain boundaries are considered to be the main obstacle for
current flow in polycrystalline bulk superconductors. In
bicrystal YBCO thin films, it has been shown that the current
carrying behavior of grain boundaries is strongly dependent on
misorientation angles. However, grain boundaries formed by the
liquid phase removal method in bulk YBCO do not show such
dependence, where high-angle grain boundaries are found to be
capable of carrying high currents. To understand the mechanism
by which current is carried by these high-angle grain
boundaries, we performed TEM studies on two high-angle
boundaries whose J/sub c/ varied considerably. The
misorientation characteristics and grain boundary planes for
these grain boundaries were determined. |
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Measurements
of misorientation angles over a large distance in strongly
coupled grain boundaries M.
Mironova, Guoping Du and K. Salama
Summary:
Grain boundaries in polycrystalline melt-textured YBCO
samples fabricated by the liquid phase removal method have
been analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These
samples contain a number of grains separated by high-angle
grain boundaries with lengths up to several millimeters and
J/sub c/ values up to 18000 A/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K. The results
of TEM studies show that the high misorientation angles of
these boundaries are maintained over a large distance by
certain intra-grain features such as platelet boundaries and
low-angle grain boundaries. Measurements on adjacent platelets
as well as at locations inside single grains show that the
presence of these boundaries maintains the misorientation of
the high-angle grain boundary in these samples within 6
degrees. This indicates that high-angle grain boundaries in
these samples do not dissociate into low-angle grain
boundaries and the high superconducting current is carried by
the entire length of the boundary. |
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Characterization
of liquid phase epitaxy grown YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/
thick films as superconductive
substrates N. Tanaka, K.
Hashimoto, H. Zama, S. Miura, T. Morishita and H.
Yamamoto
Summary: The liquid phase epitaxy
(LPE) grown YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x/ (YBCO) thick films are
characterized as a superconductive substrate in comparison
with bulk YBCO single crystal substrates. We have focused on
the study of the chemical treatments improving the [001] YBCO
surface which is mechanically polished. The reaction of the
YBCO surface with the HCl/absolute methanol solution is
effective for removing damaged remnants on the surface without
roughening. Resulting surfaces are precisely examined by
observations of atomic force microscopy. The topographical
image and its line profile have confirmed that [001] YBCO
surfaces are terminated by a unique atomic layer. The chemical
stability is also examined under the conditions that
additional depositions are followed to form a multilayer
structure for devices. |
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The
effect of substrate vicinal offcut on the morphology and
physical properties of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta//
thin films D.
Vassiloyannis
Summary: In this work we
present a simple and reliable new method for producing YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// thin films with an
exceptionally high J/sub c/ value, one order of magnitude
higher than the value usually reported for this phase and a
low surface roughness/spl sim/1 nm. Using SrTiO/sub 3/
substrates polished at low angles off the [001] towards the
[010] plane provides control over both the physical properties
and surface roughness of the films grown, with the 1.7/spl
deg/ misorientation angle leading to films with the best
properties. |
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Superconducting
YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ on MgO buffered [100] Si for high
frequency applications-buffer layer deposition techniques and
processing considerations Yu.
Vlasov, A. Lacambra, R. Soto, G.L. Larkins Jr., P. Stampe and
R. Kennedy
Summary: The use of MgO as a
buffer layer between YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ and Si has
advantages for microwave applications. MgO has a low
dielectric constant, small loss tangent and is relatively
stable. Silicon as a substrate material is relatively
inexpensive and, more importantly, active semiconductive
devices can be imbedded in it. This presents certain
challenges from a processing point of view in terms of
materials compatibility and growth. We have discovered that
maintaining a silicon surface free of any native oxide is
critical to obtaining acceptable results. As of this writing
we are producing 1.5 cm/spl times/1.5 cm films using both PLD
and feedback controlled reactive RF sputtering for the MgO
followed by PLD deposited YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/. The
resulting films are c-axis oriented and randomly oriented
in-plane according to X-ray diffraction data. T/sub C(R=0)/'s
of the films are 70-80 K with transition onsets ranging from
82 to 92 K depending on the method of substrate preparation
and the deposition parameters. The most recent processing
details, full X-ray characterization of the film structures,
and some microwave characteristics will be presented and
discussed. |
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Deposition
of YBCO thin films on MgO buffer layer fabricated on Si
substrates H. Shimakage, A.
Kawakami and Z. Wang
Summary: Epitaxial
growth of YBCO thin films with a MgO buffer layer on Si[100]
substrate is reported. The MgO thin film was deposited by RF
magnetron sputtering, using a single crystal MgO target. The
crystallization of the MgO thin films was found to be
dependent on the substrate temperature and the sputtering gas
mixture. The x-ray diffraction pattern showed that the MgO
thin film grew epitaxially in the [200] orientation on the Si
substrates in atmosphere containing nitrogen gas. YBCO thin
films deposited by laser ablation on Si substrate buffered
with MgO thin films had a c-axis orientation with a critical
temperature of 82 K. The critical temperature was found to be
dependent on the substrate temperature in depositing the MgO
buffer layer. Also the surface morphology of MgO and YBCO thin
films is discussed. |
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Epitaxial
growth of YBCO thin films on Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ substrates by
pulsed laser deposition In-Seon
Kim, Hae-Ryong Lim and Yong Ki Park
Summary:
Superconducting YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta//
(YBCO) thin films were deposited on CeO/sub 2/ buffered Al/sub
2/O/sub 3/ (alumina and sapphire) substrates by pulsed laser
deposition. Superconducting properties of the c-axis YBCO
films on these substrates were greatly affected by the growth
orientation of CeO/sub 2/ buffer layer. The critical
temperature of YBCO film on alumina substrate was /spl sim/83
K. In the case of single crystal substrates, the critical
temperature of YBCO thin film was /spl sim/89.5 K, and the
critical current density was 1.5/spl times/10/sup 6/ A/cm/sup
2/ at 77 K. |
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Preparation
of YBCO films on sapphire with CeO/sub 2/ deposited by ion
beam sputtering T. Goto, T. Kuji,
You-Song Jiang, M. Moriya, K. Usami and T.
Kobayashi
Summary: Although sapphire has
superior high frequency properties, an adequate buffer layer
is required to form a high-Tc film. We deposited a CeO/sub 2/
buffer layer by ion beam sputtering in high oxygen pressure,
and investigated the influence of the deposition conditions on
the superconducting properties of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub
7-y/ (YBCO) films. CeO/sub 2/ films deposited at higher than
600/spl deg/C were c-axis oriented and YBCO films deposited on
the top at 700/spl deg/C were also c-axis oriented. T/sub /spl
alpha//(R=0)=89 K and J/sub c/>10/sup 6/A/cm/sup 2/ were
obtained for a 120 nm thick YBCO film deposited on 50 nm thick
CeO/sub 2/ layer. High oxygen pressure /spl sim/1 Pa is
desirable. Grain boundary Josephson junctions were also
successfully fabricated on bicrystal sapphire substrate. It
was found that high pressure ion beam sputtering is a
promising method for superconductive electron
devices. |
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Preparation
of a-axis oriented YBCO film on CeO/sub 2/ buffered sapphire
substrate You-Song Jiang, T.
Kobayashi and T. Goto
Summary: The purpose of
this research is to control the orientations of the YBCO thin
films which were deposited on the sapphire substrate with
CeO/sub 2/ buffer layer that was fabricated using ion beam
sputtering (IBS) method. The orientations of YBCO thin films
were investigated using X-ray diffraction, and the dependence
of the degree of a-axis orientation upon the substrate
temperature and deposition rate was found. The a-axis oriented
YBCO thin films were obtained at substrate temperature below
610/spl deg/C and deposition rate of more than 10 /spl
Aring//min. High Tc of 85 K was realized by "temperature
gradient" method. The surface of YBCO thin film is
characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). |
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Ultrathin
films of YBaCuO grown on YSZ substrates with a new buffer
layer Nd-Cu-O J. Gao, T.C. Chui
and W.H. Tang
Summary: YSZ is one of the most
widely used substrates to grow oxide superconducting thin
films. However, the large lattice mismatch and occurrence of
intermediate layer often degrade the quality of grown films.
We used a new buffer material, neodymium copper oxide (Nd/sub
2/CuO/sub 4/), to improve the quality of YBCO ultrathin films
grown on YSZ. Good superconducting transitions have been
obtained on these films with thickness 10-12 nanometers. Such
a Nd/sub 2/CuO/sub 4/ layer has a stable crystal structure and
behaves as an oxide semiconductor. At 77 K, its resistivity is
/spl sim/40 times higher than that of PrBaCuO, which has been
commonly used as buffer layer and barrier material. The
lattice mismatch between Nd/sub 2/CuO/sub 4/ and YBCO is much
smaller than that between YSZ and YBCO. It allows highly
epitaxial growth of YBCO without forming big defects and the
intermediate layer. Measurements by using XRD, rocking curve,
and cross-sectional TEM indicated that the crystallinity of
YBCO films grown on Nd/sub 2/CuO/sub 4/ buffer layer had been
significantly improved. Besides, the smooth surface of Nd/sub
2/CuO/sub 4/ layer and buffered YBCO films are observed by
SEM. |
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SrTiO/sub
3/ buffer layers on MgO and Si substrates for high-T/sub c/
technology L. Mechin, Q. Meng,
A.H. Sonnenberg and G.J. Gerritsma
Summary:
SrTiO/sub 3/ (STO) thin films have been sputtered on
MgO [100] and on Si [100] substrates. On MgO the
[100]-oriented STO buffer layers enabled the fabrication of
high quality DyBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ (DBCO) films and
ramp-type junctions (with I/sub c//spl times/R/sub n/ products
in the order of 1 mV at 4 K) using exactly the same process as
for single crystal STO substrates. On Si the fraction of
[110]-oriented material in the STO films have been minimized
to 2.5% by the optimization of the deposition conditions.
Grain boundaries crossing the whole STO film and an amorphous
layer between Si and STO could be observed. An Auger analysis
revealed the presence of barium at the Si/STO interface that
presumably diffused along the grain boundaries through STO to
form barium silicate. By reducing both the DBCO deposition
temperature and the STO thickness we could prevent this
diffusion and improve the electrical properties. However
rather poor crystalline quality and still non-satisfactory
electrical characteristics were obtained (R/sub 300//R/sub
100//spl sim/1 and T/sub c/ (R=0) in the 40 60 K range).
Overall these results suggest that, on MgO STO is a reliable
buffer layer that enables the use of the technological
processes handled on single crystal STO substrates. On Si the
crystalline quality of the STO layers has to be improved in
order to form an efficient diffusion barrier. |
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Al
films as buffer layers for high-temperature superconducting
thin films on amorphous
substrates S. Hontsu, M.
Nakamori, A. Fujimaki, H. Tabata, J. Ishii and T.
Kawai
Summary: We have prepared c-axis
oriented YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-y/ (YBCO) thin films on
amorphous substrates, such as SiO/sub 2/ and soda potassium
glass, by using Al(111) buffer layer. Before preparation of
YBCO film, Al surface was oxidized at a substrate temperature
of 590/spl deg/C under (O/sub 2/+O/sub 3/;8%) atmosphere of 1
mTorr. This AlO/sub x/ was in an amorphous state according to
X-ray diffraction (XRD) and reflection high-energy electron
diffraction (RHEED) measurements. YBCO films were formed on
amorphous substrates with the AlO/sub x//Al layer using an ArF
excimer laser deposition technique. The vacuum pressure and
substrate temperature during deposition were typically 1 mTorr
and 590/spl deg/C, respectively. XRD measurements indicate
that all the YBCO films were predominantly oriented with the
c-axis normal to the substrate surface. These results show
that the AlO/sub x/ plays a role of buffer and seed layer
which has periodic potential of atomic order corresponding to
Al(111) plane. Critical temperature T/sub c(zero)/ of the
c-axis oriented YBCO film on AlO/sub x//Al/glass substrate was
75 K. This technique can be applied to other oxide material
such as ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials and is very
useful for applications. |
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Buffer
layers and thallination of Tl-based superconductors on
flexible metal substrates P.A.
Parilla, C.M. Carlson, Y.-T. Wang, R.N. Bhattacharya, R.D.
Blaugher, D.S. Ginley, M. Paranthaman, A. Goyal, D.K. Christen
and D.M. Kroeger
Summary: Reported here is
the development of textured buffer layers that are compatible
with Tl-based superconductor (SC) films on metallic
substrates. Crucial properties for the successful development
of a suitable buffer layer are appropriate lattice match,
chemical stability, and a high degree of texture. Buffer layer
materials investigated include cerium oxide, strontium
titanate (STO), lanthanum aluminate (LAO), and lanthanum
nickel oxide (LNO) which were grown using a pulsed excimer 248
nm laser deposition system equipped with multitarget and
controlled ambient capabilities. The influences of substrate
temperature and ambient pressure and flow on buffer layer
growth are analyzed via XRD and AFM characterization. Highly
textured buffer layers have been fabricated including
epitaxial LAO/LNO/CeO/sub 2//Ni RABiTS configurations. Also
reported are the results of thallination of Ba-Ca-Cu-O
precursors on single crystal and buffered substrates using a
hybrid 2-zone furnace. The hybrid 2-zone combines the
advantages of crucible and standard 2-zone thallination
processes. High quality Tl-1223 films with J/sub cm//spl
sim/6.0 MA/cm/sup 2/ (0 T, 5 K) and 4.6 MA/cm/sup 2/ (0 T, 76
K) have been produced using the hybrid method. |
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High
J/sub c/'s in just-rolled Tl-1223/Ag tapes prepared using
(Tl,Pb,Bi)-(Sr,Ba)-Ca-Cu-O
compositions D.Y. Jeong, H.K. Kim
and M.H. Sohn
Summary: The grain morphology,
the changes in microstructure and J/sub c/ during the
thermo-mechanical treatment, and the field dependence of J/sub
c/ in Tl-1223/Ag tapes of Tl/sub 0.8/Pb/sub 0.2/Bi/sub
0.2/Sr/sub 1.6/Ba/sub 0.4/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub z/ and
Tl/sub 0.8/Pb/sub 0.2/Bi/sub 0.2/Sr/sub 1.8/Ba/sub 0.2/Ca/sub
2.2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub z/ compositions were investigated, and then
compared with each other. As a result, high J/sub c/'s near
25000 A/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K and 0 T were obtained in the latter
composition, in which plate-like Tl-1223 grains are
directionally aligned, at least in local regions. The high
J/sub c/'s are attributed to enhanced grain-contact areas
resulting from enhanced densification by a repetition of the
TMT and the retarded decomposition of Tl-1223 phase in the
latter composition. The strong field dependence of J/sub c/
indicates, however, that there still exist significant
weak-links. |
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Superconducting
(TlBi)/sub 0.9/Sr/sub 1.6/Ba/sub 0.4/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/Ag/sub
0.2/O/sub x/ films from electrodeposited
precursors R.N. Bhattacharya,
P.A. Parilla, R.D. Blaugher, Z.F. Ren, W. Li, J.H. Wang, Y.T.
Wang, A.M. Hermann, M. Paranthaman, A. Goyal, D.T. Verebelyi
and D.K. Christen
Summary: A low-cost
electrodeposition (ED) method is reported for fabrication of
high-temperature Tl-oxide-based superconductors. Recent
studies on the development of biaxially textured ED films on
single-crystal and rolling-assisted biaxially textured Ni
substrates are presented. Pole-figure measurements of
electrodeposited (Tl,Bi)-(Sr,Ba)-Ca-Cu-Ag-O (TBSBCCO) films,
with thicknesses between 1-5 /spl mu/m, clearly show strong
biaxial texturing. The rocking curve and phi scan of TBSBCCO
on 300 /spl Aring/ Ag/LaAlO/sub 3/, show a full width half
maximum (FWHM) of only 0.9/spl deg/ and 1.2/spl deg/,
respectively, consistent with a very high-quality. Transport
measurements for the ED films show J/sub c/ values up to
7.84/spl times/10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K in zero magnetic
field. The preliminary results of electrodeposited TBSBCCO
film on CeO/sub 2//YSZ/CeO/sub 2/ on textured Ni showed
primarily 1212 phase with a transport critical current density
of 1.36/spl times/10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K in zero
field. |
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Synthesis
and stability of HgRe1212 and HgRe1223
superconductors P.V.P.S.S. Sastry
and J. Schwartz
Summary: Synthesis, phase
stability, and superconducting properties of Re-doped Hg1212
and 1223 superconductors are reported. HgRe1212 and HgRe1223
were synthesized using a common synthesis protocol, using
commercial BaCaCuO precursor powders with CaHgO/sub 2/ as the
external Hg-source. Both starting composition and reaction
temperature affect the phase stability and microstructure of
the final product. The resulting superconducting phase in both
Hg/sub 0.8/Re/sub 0.2/Ba/sub 2/Ca/sub 1/Cu/sub 2/O/sub y/ and
Hg/sub 0.8/Re/sub 0.2/Ba/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/
compositions was either HgRe1212 or HgRe1223, depending on the
reaction temperature. The microstructure and superconducting
properties of HgRe1212 and HgRe1223 samples, however, depended
to a large extent on the starting composition. Both the
HgRe1212 and HgRe1223 samples synthesized from a nominal
composition of Hg/sub 0.8/Re/sub 0.2/Ba/sub 2/Ca/sub 1/Cu/sub
2/O/sub y/ had larger and aligned colonies of grains whereas
the samples synthesized a nominal composition Hg/sub
0.8/Re/sub 0.2/Ba/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/ had smaller
and randomly oriented grains. Measured T/sub c/ values for
HgRe1212 and Hg1223 phases were 124 K and 134 K, respectively.
Both microstructure and magnetization hysteresis measurements
suggest that HgRe1212 is a better candidate for
applications. |
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Properties
of (Hg,X)-1223 superconductors synthesized without using a
glove box H. Fujii, H. Kumakura
and K. Togano
Summary: We tried to synthesize
(Hg,X)Ba/sub 2/Ca/sub n-1/Ca/sub n/O/sub y/ (MgX-12(n-1)n)
superconductors for the substitution of various elements X
without using a glove box. For X=V, Cr, Mn, Ge, Mo, Ru and Re,
we succeeded in the formation of the phases of n=2, 1, 2, 1,
3, 3 and 3, respectively. It is suggested that the
substitution of X for Hg is effective to stabilize the
structures of HgX-12(n-1)n phases. Studies of microstructure
and superconducting properties on HgMo- and HgRe-1223 revealed
that the melt texturing was observed only for HgMo-1223 and
that the T/sub c/'s of both samples were above 130 K, almost
equal to that of Hg-1223. The irreversibility fields of HgMo-
and HgRe-1223 were roughly estimated to be about 1.6 and 3 T
at 90 K, respectively. These values are higher than that of
Hg-1223. It is speculated that this enhancement is due to the
improved coupling of Cu-O planes by the contraction of c-axis
or the carrier doping by oxygen atoms introduced in the Hg-(O)
layer. |
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Effect
of deposition method on the uniformity of Hg-1212 thick
films J.C. Moore, M.I. Bisset,
D.C. Knoll, J. Marin, S. Peterson, A.B. Roney, P.V.P.S.S.
Sastry and J. Schwartz
Summary: Hg-1212 thick
films were fabricated using three methods to deposit the
precursor film. It was found that the uniformity of the
superconducting film is directly related to the uniformity of
the precursor film. Significant thickness variations in the
precursor film could, not be entirely eliminated by the
subsequent melting and densification occurring during Hg-1212
phase formation. We conclude that deposition of a high quality
precursor film is essential to produce a textured
superconducting film with good coverage. |
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Coexisting
ferromagnetism and superconductivity in hybrid rutheno-cuprate
superconductors J. Tallon, C.
Bernhard, M. Bowden, P. Gilberd, T. Stoto and D.
Pringle
Summary: We report the observation of
microscopically coexisting ferromagnetism and
superconductivity in a hybrid ruthenocuprate RuSr/sub
2/GdCu/sub 2/O/sub 8/, with T/sub c//spl les/40 K. By means of
various substituents it is established that the
superconductivity originates in the CuO/sub 2/ planes and the
ferromagnetism in the RuO/sub 2/ planes, as expected. Muon
spin relaxation measurements show that the ferromagnetism,
with Curie temperature T/sub M/=132 K, is microscopically
uniform and originates from the entire sample bulk. This is
probably the first confirmed example of uniform microscopic
coexistence of superconductivity and atomic ferromagnetism.
The material is determined from thermopower measurements to be
an underdoped cuprate with a projected T/sub c,max/=90-100 K,
typical of a two-layer cuprate. The oxygen isotope effect
exponent of /spl alpha//sub Tc/=1.7 is the largest observed in
the high-T/sub c/ cuprates. These materials are expected to
provide a rich source of new physics and
applications. |
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Oxide
epitaxial lift-off of superconducting thin film
devices R.K. Hanson and M.M.
Eddy
Summary: Oxide epitaxial lift-off (OELO)
has been successfully accomplished for thin single layer films
of strontium titanate and multilayer films of strontium
titanate and superconducting yttrium barium copper oxide
(YBCO). The technique employs a YBCO release layer to separate
the films from the growth substrate. The critical development
was the use of a polymer support layer which retains
sufficient compliance after curing to permit stress relaxation
of the oxide film in such a way as to prevent cracking.
Multilayer lift-off had the additional necessity of
encapsulating the YBCO device layer. This was accomplished by
alternately depositing layers of strontium titanate and YBCO.
Layer thicknesses were optimized to compensate for the
resulting through-thickness stress gradient which developed
due to thermal expansion differences. |
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Control
of surface electronic structure of high T/sub c/
superconducting films for Josephson junctions and electron
spectroscopy N. Terada, S.
Kashiwaya, H. Takashima, S. Ueno, M. Koyanagi and H.
Ihara
Summary: A high-density atomic oxygen
beam generated by thermal nonequilibrium high-temperature
plasma has been used to control the surface nature of
high-T/sub c/ superconducting YBCO epitaxial films and Cu-1234
ceramics. We report characterization of the electronic
structure of the cleaned surfaces by in-situ ultraviolet and
X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (UPS,XPS) and study of the
relationship between the surface natures controlled and
transport properties of multilayer structures fabricated over
them. For both kinds of materials, exposure of the surface at
a temperature of 300/spl sim/500/spl deg/C to the atomic
oxygen beam yields highly ordered surface structures and a
metallic feature with high electron density of states at the
Fermi level. Owing to the improvement, the contact resistance
between a cleaned YBCO[100] film and in-situ deposited gold,
and a cleaned Cu-1234 and gold were found to be in the range
of 10/sup -10//spl sim/10/sup -9/ and /spl sim/10/sup -8/ /spl
Omega/.cm/sup 2/, respectively. The realization of an
intrinsic Au/YBCO interface resulted in direct observation of
the superconducting proximity effect in the gold layer from
the YBCO. The control of the electrical connection also led to
an enhancement of interlayer superconducting coupling in
Pb/Ag/Au/YBCO[100] junctions. A positive correlation was found
between the critical current density of the junction J/sub c/
and the height of photoelectron Fermi edge of YBCO, which
corresponds to the electron density of states at the surface.
A high J/sub c/, of the order of 10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/, was
achieved on the junctions fabricated on the YBCO surface with
a Fermi edge height of 10% relative to that of Cu 3d
UPS-signal. |
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Influence
of the deposition rate on crystalline structure and cation
disordering of YBCO thin
films Jeong Dae Suh, Gun Yong
Sung and Kwang Yong Kang
Summary: We have
systematically investigated the superconducting properties of
in-situ deposited YBCO thin films as a function of the
substrate temperature in the range 650-800/spl deg/C and the
deposition rate in the range 0.1-12.2 nm/s. It was found that
the cubic structure of YBCO grows at low substrate
temperatures and high deposition rates. Also, expansion of the
c-lattice parameter and decrease of the critical temperature
of YBCO thin films were observed with decreasing substrate
temperature and increasing deposition rate, suggestive of
cation disordering in the YBCO thin films. These results are
explained by cation kinetics. |
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Dependence
of critical temperature and resistivity of thin film Nb47wt%Ti
on magnetron sputtering
conditions C.D. Hawes, L.D.
Cooley and D.C. Larbalestier
Summary:
Niobium-titanium multilayers generally have depressed
critical temperature, T/sub c/. In this paper the variation of
T/sub c/ and resistivity of magnetron sputtered Nb47wt%Ti thin
films is studied as a function of the cathode power and target
usage. The data are compared with analyses by Auger and
scanning electron microscopy. Films made using a new target
have properties which are similar to those of bulk Nb47wt%Ti
when high cathode power is used. The data indicate a
transition in the morphology of the film as power increases,
which affects the rate at which interstitial atoms are
incorporated into the growing film. After the target lost /spl
sim/50% of its mass and acquired strong surface relief, bulk
properties could not be obtained, because deposition rates for
a given cathode power were lower than before. A small Ti
enrichment (3-5%) between the films and the target was found
for both sets of films. |
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Optimization
of RF- and DC-sputtered NbTiN films for integration with
Nb-based SIS junctions N.N.
Iosad, B.D. Jackson, T.M. Klapwijk, S.N. Polyakov, P.N.
Dmitirev and J.R. Gao
Summary: NbTiN is one
of the most promising materials for use in the tuning circuits
of Nb-based SIS mixers for operating frequencies above the gap
frequency of Nb (/spl ap/700 GHz). We examine the properties
of NbTiN films obtained using an unbalanced sputtering source
in both RF and DC operating regimes. It is found that the
properties of NbTiN films are strongly affected by the total
pressure of the sputtering process. Films obtained under lower
pressures have higher compressive stresses and lower
resistivities. The best NbTiN films are obtained by DC
sputtering and have a transition temperature of 14.4 K, a
resistivity of 90 /spl mu//spl Omega//spl middot/cm at 20 K,
and a compressive stress of -1 GPa. Films with a resistivity
of 110 /spl mu//spl Omega//spl middot/cm at 20 K and a
compressive stress of -0.5 GPa have been successfully used as
a stripline material for Nb/Al-AlO/sub x//Nb SIS junctions on
fused quartz substrates. |
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Properties
of DC magnetron sputtered Nb and NbN films for different
source conditions N.N. Iosad,
T.M. Klapwijk, S.N. Polyakov, V.V. Roddatis, E.K. Kov'ev and
P.N. Dmitriev
Summary: We have compared the
quality of Nb and NbN films obtained by DC magnetron
sputtering from a new and a fully eroded Nb target. Since
current superconducting electronic devices such as SIS mixers,
RSFQ digital circuits and hot electron bolometers are produced
by reactive sputtering, we are interested in optimum source
operating conditions over the target lifetime. We find that
stress-free Nb films can, at any state of the target, be
obtained under the same Ar pressure and DC power applied to
the sputtering source. We show that this approach also works
for NbN reactive sputtering if the nitrogen flow rate is
maintained proportional to the deposition rate of Nb. In both
cases the zero-stress point shifts to lower cathode DC voltage
as the target erodes. Additionally we find that the
effectiveness of the magnetic trap of the magnetron influences
the normal state resistivity of the NbN films. |
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Nb
oxide thin film resistors C.I.
Wilson, C.R. Ellis, L.S. Salinas and A.W.
Lichtenberger
Summary: Recently Kerr and Pan
have proposed development of integrated image separating mixer
circuits. To realize the 50 and 100 ohm terminations required
by these circuits, a 4.2 K thin film resistor technology is
required. It is also desirable to implement each resistor with
one or two "squares" of material so that they are electrically
short. Existing commonly used Ti-Au based resistor
technologies are limited to values well below 50 /spl
Omega///spl square/. We are investigating a new Nb-oxide
technology where the resistivity is controlled by varying the
oxygen content of the sputtered films. Initial experiments
using a DC magnetron gun with a Nb target proved difficult to
control due to the changing deposition rate and electrical
characteristics of the gun with target erosion. Greatly
improved control was obtained with the use of a RF diode
sputter arrangement and a 5" diameter target. As target
voltage is decreased or oxygen partial pressure is increased,
the deposited films become less metallic and more resistive.
Films with ohms//spl square/ values ranging from five to 1,000
have been obtained with this technique while a partial
pressure of oxygen on the order of 10/sup -3/ Pa is needed for
50 /spl Omega///spl square/ material. A valuable attribute of
these resistive films is that the measured room and liquid He
temperature resistivities are the same. |
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Deposition
of c-oriented borocarbide thin films by laser ablation
technique M.R. Cimberle, C.
Ferdeghini, G. Grassano, D. Marre, I. Pallecchi, M. Putti,
A.S. Siri and F. Canepa
Summary: Despite the
long period of time elapsed since their discovery,
intermetallic superconducting borocarbides in the form of thin
films are rarely reported in the literature. In this paper we
present our results on the growth of ErNi/sub 2/B/sub 2/C thin
films by an ultra high vacuum laser ablation technique. The
dependence of the film structure and properties on the
deposition parameters has been studied and optimized. Strongly
c-oriented superconducting films (rocking angle of 1/spl deg/)
with a rather smooth surface have been obtained. Here we
present the details of the deposition procedure as well as
those of the structural, morphological, and electrical
characterization. The feasibility of superconducting films
with a tungsten buffer layer on MgO substrate has been studied
successfully. Both buffer layers and bilayers have been
characterized by X-ray reflectivity and atomic force
microscopy. |
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Development
of Nb-Ti-Ta ternary alloy multifilamentary superconducting
wire T. Shimada, K. Wada, S.
Meguro, S. Murase, S. Nakayama, T. Orikasa, K. Makishima, K.
Watanabe, K. Tsuchiya, A. Yamamoto, T. Nakamoto and T.
Shintomi
Summary: The superconducting wire
with approximately 10 /spl mu/m diameter filaments of Nb-41
wt%Ti-28 wt%Ta alloy was fabricated from our standard
production billet. Critical current densities and upper
critical fields after various heat treatments were measured in
the temperature range of 4.2 K to 1.6 K. Thermo-mechanical
treatments for /spl alpha/-Ti precipitates were optimized to
improve critical current densities. A 27-strand Rutherford
type cable having a large keystone angle was trial-fabricated
using the optimized-processed wires. The achieved J/sub c/s
were 1383 A/mm/sup 2/ (10 T and 1.9 K) and 602 A/mm/sup 2/ (12
T and 1.9 K). The fabricated wire was proved to have high
homogeneity and good workability. |
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Critical
currents and pinning mechanisms in Chevrel-phase
superconductors: materials science
issues M.O.
Rikel
Summary: Critical current densities and
pinning mechanisms in lead (PMS) and tin (SMS) molybdenum
sulfides are reviewed with the emphasis on materials science
problems. In both compounds, pinning at grain boundaries is
dominant only in fine-grained materials and in the low-field
regime. In coarser grained materials, additional pinning
behaviors (the maximum pinning force density F/sub p/ at the
reduced field b/sub m/=0.4-0.55 and 0.7) are reproducibly
observed and can be related to pinning at intragrain defects
(planar defects, oxide precipitates, and point-like defects).
The difference in the critical currents in PMS and SMS is
discussed and related to the difference in the extent of
stress-induced structural transformation at grain
boundaries. |
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The
upper critical field of the Chevrel phase superconductor
lead-molybdenum-sulphide doped with
gadolinium N.R. Leigh, D.N. Zheng
and D.P. Hampshire
Summary: Chevrel phase
superconductors with upper critical field values of up to 50
T, are candidate materials for the next generation of high
field magnets. We have investigated the effect of doping
lead-molybdenum-sulphide with the magnetic ion gadolinium to
improve the critical parameters and the flux pinning in this
material. Samples were prepared at 1500/spl deg/C to ensure
the gadolinium was uniformly distributed throughout the
material and then sintered using a hot isostatic press
operating at a pressure of 2000 atmospheres. Calorimetric
measurements have been completed In magnetic fields up to 15 T
as a function of temperature. The temperature dependence of
the upper critical field of these isotropic Chevrel phase
materials are presented. Upper critical field values of more
than 60 T have been determined for both doped and undoped
samples. The calorimetric data reported here show that
material with low levels of gadolinium doping offers the
possibility of strong flux pinning and high critical current
densities in high magnetic fields. In highly doped materials,
the low critical current density and irreversibility fields
found are probably due to a reduction in the fundamental
properties and not poor grain boundaries. |
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Superconducting
properties and critical current density of Nb-Ti/Ti
multilayers L.D. Cooley, C.D.
Hawes, P.J. Lee and D.C. Larbalestier
Summary:
Multilayers of Nb47Ti superconductor (S) and titanium
pins (N) have been made with a critical temperature T/sub c/
and an upper critical field H/sub c2/ approaching bulk values.
There is no proximity effect suppression of T/sub c/ and H/sub
c2/ for layer thickness d/sub S/=d/sub N/=10 nm, in contrast
to the strong suppression for comparable multilayers made with
Cu, Cu-alloy, or Nb pins. This may be because the proximity
length of the Ti layers, /spl sim/10 nm, is less than or equal
to their thickness. The critical current density J/sub c/
exhibits, multiple peaks in J/sub c/(H), which suggests that
matching effects contribute to the overall pinning. J/sub c/
for 20 nm bilayers is comparable to that of Nb47Ti tapes,
which have a higher number density of pins but a lower pin
volume fraction. The weak proximity coupling suggests that
much higher J/sub c/ can be obtained if smaller bilayer
periods can be made with good adhesion. The results are
compared to other Nb-Ti/Ti multilayer experiments, and
stability limitations are also discussed. |
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Analysis
and optimization of superconducting materials using the
modified collective pinning
theory D. Rodrigues
Jr.
Summary: The experimental pinning forces
of LTS materials were analyzed using the Modified Collective
Pinning Theory (MCPT). This modified theory accounts for the
elastic and plastic energies and deformations of the flux line
lattice in the superconductors. Usually, collective pinning
theories only account for the elastic deformation of the
lattice. The analysis by MCPT enabled one to determine the
amounts of elastic and plastic deformations of the flux line
lattice in Nb/sub 3/Sn and Nb/sub 3/Al superconductors. The
theoretical values for the coherence lengths were compared to
the measured dimensions of the microstructures of defects in
the materials. This analysis brought the possibilities to a
better understanding of the transport behavior of these
materials. |
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Flux
pinning characteristics in ultrafine multifilamentary NbTi
superconductors with different artificial pin
materials O. Miura, Y. Zhu, T.
Okubo, D. Ito and S. Endo
Summary: In order
to improve and design critical current densities in commercial
superconductors, the establishment of an artificial pinning
center composite technique based on the flux pinning mechanism
is desired. For that purpose, we studied the influence of
different kinds of artificial pin materials (Nb, Nb-7.5wt.%Ta,
Ta) on the flux pinning in multifilamentary NbTi
superconductors. It was found that Nb pins act as the
strongest pinners among them as predicted by difference of
free energy between different kinds of superconductors
estimated from the Ginzburg-Landau theory. As a result, the
pinning scaling law holds true in a wide range of temperatures
and magnetic fields. However, the contribution of artificial
pins gradually decreased with reducing pin size. This is
thought to be mainly caused by the degradation of upper
critical field due to the proximity effect as well as the
reduction in pin size. |
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Current
sharing in the resistive region of composite
superconductors A. Rimikis, R.
Kimmich and T. Schneider
Summary: The current
sharing region is an important factor in the specification of
a superconducting composite. Therefore, the voltage-current
characteristic of NbTi and Nb/sub 3/Sn superconductors with
copper stabilizing matrix, as well as silver sheathed
BSSCO-2223 are discussed under the aspect of current sharing
and temperature effects. |
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Investigation
of critical current distribution in composite
superconductors R. Kimmich, A.
Rimikis and T. Schneider
Summary: For the
design of superconducting magnets, the E-field vs. current
curve (E(I)-curve) of the composite superconductor is an
important property. We studied a model which describes the
E(I)-curve by means of a Gaussian distribution of local
critical currents. Therefore, resistive measurements in
magnetic fields up to B=15 T were performed on several
niobium-titanium, niobium-tin conductors and
Bi-2223-conductors. We calculated the critical current
distribution by differentiating E(I) twice with respect to the
current. For metallic superconductors we got only the lower
portion of the distribution because of sample quenches. That
means, no complete distribution could be seen, but only a
fraction of the curve. We developed a new numerical method to
estimate the parameters of these fragmented critical current
distributions. The knowledge of the parameters enabled us to
calculate the whole curves and to compare them with the
results of the measurements. This comparison clearly showed
that for NbTi and Nb/sub 3/Sn composite superconductors, which
are not additionally stabilised, the quench of the sample
occurs far below the mean critical current. |
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Magnetization
measurements on LHC superconducting
strands S. Le Naour, L. Oberli,
R. Wolf, R. Puzniak, A. Szewczyk, A. Wisniewski, H. Fikis, M.
Foitl and H. Kirchmayr
Summary: When using
superconducting magnets in particle accelerators like the LHC,
persistent currents in the superconductor often determine the
field quality at injection, where the magnetic field is low.
This paper describes magnetization measurements made on LHC
cable strands at the Technical University of Vienna and the
Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in
collaboration with CERN. Measurements were performed at T=2 K
and T=4.2 K on more than 50 strands of 7 different
manufacturers with NbTi filament diameter between 5 and 7
micrometer. Two different measurement set-ups were used:
vibrating sample magnetometer, with a sample length of about 8
mm, and an integrating coil magnetometer, with sample length
of about 1 m. The two methods were compared by measuring the
same sample. Low field evidence of proximity effect is
discussed. Statistics like ratio of the width of the
magnetization loop at 4.2 K and 2 K, and the initial slope
dM/dB after cooldown are presented. Decrease of the
magnetization with time, of the order of 2% per hour, was
observed in some samples. |
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Synthesis
of HgPb1223 superconductor Y. Li,
P.V.P.S.S. Sastry, D.C. Knoll, S.C. Peterson and J.
Schwartz
Summary: The synthesis and
processing parameters that affect the phase purity and grain
growth of Pb-doped Hg1223 were optimized. Samples were
prepared from commercial BaCaCuO precursors using CaHgO/sub 2/
as the external Hg-source. Samples were quenched from high
temperature at different stages of the reaction and their
microstructures were investigated. The reaction and annealing
conditions were optimized to improve the phase purity and
microstructural homogeneity. The as-synthesized HgPb1223
samples were shown to be optimally doped and to exhibit T/sub
c/ values in the range of 130-134 K. Post-annealing of the
samples in flowing oxygen or argon at 300-400/spl deg/C did
not improve T/sub c/ and deteriorated the magnetic
hysteresis. |
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The
magnetic field and temperature dependent transport critical
current density of Hg-Pb-Bi-Ca-Cu-O ceramic
compounds T.L. Francavilla, H.R.
Khan and V.M. Browning
Summary: Mercury-based
ceramic superconductors have been prepared by powder
metallurgy, utilizing a technique of direct synthesis from the
oxide powders. The tetragonal Hg-1223 phase was prepared and
stabilized over a range of Pb and BiPb compositions. The most
interesting material had an onset superconducting transition
temperature of approximately 133 K. Critical current densities
were obtained directly from transport measurements and
indirectly from magnetization measurements, The transport
critical current densities were orders of magnitude smaller
than the intra-grain critical current densities. The data
suggest that the transport critical current is limited by weak
coupling between the grains, and that the intra-grain critical
current densities deteriorate rapidly above 20
K. |
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Critical
current density of both F and Cl doped filamentary Hg1223
superconductors T. Goto, T.
Shimizu and K. Watanabe
Summary: The effect
of both F and Cl doping on the transport critical current
density (J/sub c/) of the filamentary Hg1223 superconductors
was examined to enhance the reproducibility of high J/sub c/.
A filamentary precursor Ba/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/Re/sub
0.2/O/sub x/ was fabricated using a solution spinning method
and partially melted in an evacuated quartz tube with a pellet
of Hg/sub 0.8/Ba/sub 1.8/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/Re/sub 0.2/(BaF/sub
2/)/sub 0.2/(CuCl)/sub 0.03/. The addition of BaF/sub 2/ and
CuCl as a doping vapor source enhanced the reproducibility and
stability of the high J/sub c/ value at 77 K and 0 T for the
filamentary sample owing to the homogeneous fine grain
texture. Field dependence of the J/sub c/ for the filamentary
sample was strongly dependent on the post-annealing condition.
Although the J/sub c/ value for the as-reacted sample and the
sample post-annealed in flowing O/sub 2/ decreased rapidly by
applying the field less than 0.5 T, high J/sub c/ value
exceeding 10/sup 3/ A/cm/sup 2/ was maintained at 77 K in a
field of 10 T by post-annealing in flowing Ar. |
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Application
of hot isostatic pressing in the synthesis of Hg-based
superconductors G. Celotti, A.
Tampieri and D. Rinaldi
Summary: The
preparation of Hg(Pb)BCCO (1201) and (1223) phases was
performed by hot-isostatic-pressing (HIP) using simple oxides
as precursors canned in silver tube. In the case of Hg/sub
0.8/Pb/sub 0.2/Ba/sub 2/CuO/sub 4+/spl delta// the
preparation, carried out at 800/spl deg/C and 0.15 GPa for 5
hrs, yielded a single phase bulk sample. On the other hand the
preparation of Hg/sub 0.8/Pb/sub 0.2/Ba/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 8+/spl delta// at 820/spl deg/C and 0.15 GPa for 5 hrs
allowed the attainment of a high volume fraction of 1223
phase. Magnetic susceptibility of 1201 phase showed an
intragranular transition around 90 K; in the case of 1223 the
value was /spl ap/128 K followed by a broadened intergranular
transition. These results show the feasibility of 1201 phase
synthesis with high purity and of 1223 phase in large amount
(>80%). The possibility to obtain the samples directly in
form of dense bulks (with density /spl ges/85%) stresses the
importance of this technique in relation to the intrinsic low
thermal stability of the superconducting phases. |
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Preparation
of highly textured Tl(1223)/Ag superconducting
tapes E. Bellingeri, R.E.
Gladyshevskii, F. Marti and R. Flukiger
Summary:
High-purity Tl(1223) ceramics have been produced by a
reaction under high isostatic gas pressure (50 bar). A new
method of synthesis consisting in a two-step reaction
involving substantial melting at very high temperature (up to
1100/spl deg/C) produced well-shaped plate-like grains. An
electrophoretic deposition (ED) technique then was used to
produce uniform layers of controlled thickness on Ag ribbons.
By alternating ED and uniaxial pressing, a high degree of
c-axis texture, comparable with the one generally observed for
Bi-based tapes, was obtained thanks to the appropriate grain
morphology of the ceramic that had been synthesized by the
two-step reaction. After annealing, critical current densities
up to 11,000 A/cm/sup 2/ were reached. Despite the fact that
the transport properties are still dominated by weak links,
some important obstacles-in particular difficulties in phase
formation and in texturing-have been overcome, indicating that
Tl(1223) remains a promising material for large scale
high-T/sub c/ superconductor applications. |
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Optimization
of phase formation and microstructure in Tl-1223 thick
films J.C. Moore, M.J. Naylor and
C.R.M. Grovenor
Summary: Tl-1223 films have
been fabricated using spray pyrolysis on silver and zirconia
substrates. We have investigated the effect of a Tl-2212/TlF
source powder and observed a significant increase in melting
and, consequently, a reduction of around 20/spl deg/C in the
optimum reaction temperature and increased grain growth. We
have found that the effect of the fluorine is greatest in the
presence of silver. We have also observed that films grown on
polycrystalline silver tape have several preferred in-plane
orientations. |
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Tl-based
films grown on silver tape
substrates C. Falcony, M. Jergel,
A. Morales, M. Garcia, R.T. Hernandez, A. De Ita, J.G.
Cabanas-Moreno, J. Palacios G. and R.
Martinez
Summary: The Tl-based
superconductors belong to potential candidates for
high-current and high-field applications. It is therefore of
importance to prepare them in the shape of tapes and wires. It
seems that silver tape is a very convenient material having
suitable mechanical properties as well as chemical
compatibility with superconducting films deposited and grown
on top of them. In our case, Tl-based films were grown using a
two-step procedure. First, the Ba-Ca-Cu precursors were
deposited on a commercial silver tape from an aerosol, and
then the precursors were thallinated in a closed crucible with
a source of Tl-oxide in the form of a crude pellet. Results
are reported on superconducting samples consisting so far of
2212, 2223 and 1223 phase mixtures. SEM observations reveal
the growth of plate-like grains. Metallurgical processing of
silver tape is underway to obtain a cubic texturized substrate
which should help to improve transport properties of the grown
films. |
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Bi/sub
2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub x//Ag multilayer tapes with J/sub
c/ (4.2 K, 10 T) of 500,000 A/cm/sup 2/ by using PAIR
process H. Kitaguchi, H.
Kumakura, K. Togano, H. Miao, T. Hasegawa and T.
Koizumi
Summary: We developed PAIR
(pre-annealing and intermediate rolling) process, which is a
fabrication procedure for Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub
x/(Bi-2212)/Ag composite tapes, in order to improve their
superconducting properties. PAIR process is the combination of
pre-annealing (PA) and subsequent intermediate rolling (IR)
processes and is performed prior to a melt-solidification
process. By performing the PAIR process, Bi-2212 grain
alignment and intergrain connectivity are much improved and a
large J/sub c/ enhancement can be expected for Bi-2212/Ag
conductors. We study the effects of pre-annealing and
intermediate rolling processes on microstructure and
superconducting properties of the Bi-2212/Ag multilayer tapes
fabricated by the oxide-painting and lamination method. The
results show that J/sub c/ has been increased strongly by
performing pre-annealing at 1133 K in oxygen (1 atm) and
intermediate rolling with 25% deformation. PAIR processed
samples have transport J/sub c/-oxide (4.2 K, 10 T) exceeding
5.0/spl times/10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/. Whereas J/sub c/-oxide
for the samples melt-solidified without PAIR process remains
3.0/spl times/10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/. The enhancement of J/sub
c/ is assigned to the microstructure with high grain alignment
and uniformity, as well as the improvement in grain
connectivity achieved by the PAIR process. |
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Isothermal
melt processing of Bi-2212
tapes T.C. Holesinger, P.S.
Baldonado, Nghia Van Vo, Weiming Dai, K.R. Marken Jr. and
Seungok Hong
Summary: Isothermal melt
processing (IMP) has been used to produce phase-pure, high
critical current density (J/sub c/) Bi-2212 tapes at
temperatures as low as 780/spl deg/C, Bi-2212 tapes processed
by IMP have yielded J/sub c/ values up to 250 kA/cm/sup 2/
(I/sub c/=345 A) at liquid helium temperatures. Small test
coils have been produced with J/sub c/ values up to 150
kA/cm/sup 2/. The effects of the oxidation rate, processing
temperature, and time spent in the partial melt on the
superconducting properties and microstructure were
investigated. Optimal superconducting properties result from
the interplay of these parameters such that the grain size of
the Bi-2212 phase in the polycrystalline core is allowed to
coarsen and align itself with the silver sheath to form a well
connected superconductor. Deviations from optimal conditions
result in either too little coarsening to form a well aligned
structure or instabilities in the coarsening process that lead
to the formation of large secondary phases which disrupt
connectivity. |
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Influence
of Ag substrates on grain alignment and critical current
density of Bi-2212 tape
conductors H. Kumakura, H.
Kitaguchi, K. Togano, T. Muroga, J. Sato and M.
Okada
Summary: We investigated the influence
of Ag substrate on the microstructure and J/sub c/ values of
dip-coated Bi-2212/Ag tapes. The grain alignment of Bi-2212 in
the oxide/Ag interface was much higher than that in the free
surface of oxide. J/sub c/ increases with increasing oxide/Ag
interface area and with decreasing oxide layer thickness,
while J/sub c/ was almost independent of the free surface
area. The smoothness of the Ag substrate is also an important
factor. Micrometer-size roughness of the Ag substrate results
in a decrease of Bi-2212 grain alignment and therefore J/sub
c/. Addition of alloying elements to the Ag also degrades the
grain alignment of Bi-2212 and decreased J/sub c/. Cold
rolling before the heat treatment improved the grain alignment
and enhanced J/sub c/. |
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Continuous
processing of AgMg-sheathed Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub
8/ tapes Q.Y. Hu, Y. Viouchkov,
H.W. Weijers and J. Schwartz
Summary: The
critical current of the tapes prepared using continuous
processing is significantly enhanced and processing time
reduced, compared with that of traditional processing. The
effect of conductor pulling speed on the microstructure, phase
purity and therefore critical current of the tape is
investigated using ESEM, XRD and DC transport
measurements. |
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Microstructural
and magneto-optical characterization of high J/sub c/
BSCCO-2223/Ag tapes J. Jiang,
T.C. Shields, J.S. Abell, A. Polyanskii, D.M. Feldmann and
D.C. Larbalestier
Summary: The phase and
microstructural evolution, and critical current density of
(Bi,Pb)-2223/Ag tapes prepared from a variety of precursor
powders have been investigated. Correlations between the
reaction kinetics, the microstructure and the critical current
density are developed. A mechanism for the BSCCO-2223 phase
formation depending on the precursor phase assemblage is
presented. Magneto-optical imaging shows that high J/sub c/
samples (J/sub c/ (77 K, 0 T) /spl sim/35 kA/cm/sup 2/) are
well connected longitudinally but strongly sub-divided by
longitudinal cracks. The performance of BSCCO-2223 tapes
should be further improved by controlling the liquid phase to
better heal the cracks. |
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Materials
analysis of yttrium-barium-copper-oxide by micro-Raman
spectroscopy and optical
microscopy J.M. Long, T.R.
Finlayson and T.P. Mernagh
Summary: Optical
microscopy has proven to be a useful technique for obtaining
general, qualitative information from the entire surface of
YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ samples. Micro-Raman
spectroscopy is well suited for routine microstructural
analysis of YBCO superconductors. We demonstrate the
complementary use of both techniques for the analysis of
polycrystalline YBCO. Observed colors of polarisation on YBCO
were correlated with information provided by Raman
spectroscopy on individual grains to deduce microstructural
characteristics across the whole surface of a
sample. |
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Direct
observation of vortex lattice melting in Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub
2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl delta// single
crystals S.J. Bending, A. Oral,
J.R. Clem, I.I. Kaya, S. Ooi, T. Tamegai and M.
Henini
Summary: Scanning Hall probe
microscopy has been used to investigate the melting of the
vortex solid in Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl
delta// single crystals. After waiting several minutes for
fluctuations to die away, a flux solid with good six-fold
order is observed below the melting line. Incommensurability
effects lead to pronounced rotations of the solid as the field
is varied. The peak-to-valley corrugation of the vortex
lattice drops abruptly and discontinuously to zero at the
melting line, consistent with a first order transition. Fits
of a pancake vortex model to the data yield a Lindemann
parameter C/sub L//spl sim/0.19 in fair agreement with other
estimates. There is also a clear indication of softening of
the solid at very low fields, though we find no direct
evidence for re-entrant melting. |
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Transport
current distribution in (Bi,Pb)-2223/Ag
tapes J. Herrmann, N. Savvides,
K.-H. Muller, R. Zhao, G.D. McCaughey, F.A. Darmann and M.H.
Apperley
Summary: We have measured the local
distribution of the magnetic field component H/sub x/(x)
perpendicular to the plane of (Bi,Pb)-2223/Ag tape conductors
carrying transport currents at T=77 K using scanning Hall
probe magnetometry. The sheet current density distribution
J/sub y/(x) across the tape width was determined via a
magnetic inversion scheme based on a Fourier transform/spatial
filtering method. With increasing current, dramatic changes in
J/sub y/(x) clearly define a characteristic current I* which
marks the onset of homogeneous distribution of additional
current over the entire cross section of the superconductor
and corresponds to the intrinsic critical current in the
context of the critical state model. The behaviour of a
single-filament tape with a slowly varying ac transport
current flowing in it is found to follow closely the
predictions of the critical state model. For multifilament
tapes, magnetic coupling between neighboring filaments results
in a current distribution corresponding to an "effective"
large individual filament. |
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Flux
pinning enhancement in Ag-clad Bi-2212 wires by reactive
doping with barium peroxide U.P.
Trociewitz, P.V.P.S.S. Sastry, P.R. Sahm and J.
Schwartz
Summary: Reactive additions of
barium peroxide to Bi-2212 are shown to create homogeneously
distributed second phases and enhance flux pinning properties.
Changes in the melting characteristics caused by the addition
also influence the texture of melt-processed Bi-2212 tapes.
Heat treatment processes were adjusted corresponding to the Ba
content to optimize the critical current densities in high
magnetic fields. Results of investigations on microstructural,
magnetization, and transport properties were correlated with
flux pinning characteristics. Significant improvements in the
field dependence of the superconducting properties of Bi-2212
at temperatures between 4.2-10 K were
demonstrated. |
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The
influence of high Pb doping on flux pinning and phase
formation in bulk and tapes of Bi/sub 2.2-x/Pb/sub x/Sr/sub
1.8/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl
delta// A. Crossley, Y.H. Li,
A.D. Caplin and J.L. MacManus-Driscoll
Summary:
The effect of oxygen partial pressure on Pb doping in
Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl delta// (Bi-2212)
and its influence on flux pinning in bulk and tape materials
has been investigated. Oxygen partial pressure was controlled
precisely using a coulometric titration system. Bulk Bi/sub
2.2-x/Pb/sub x/SrCaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl delta//
((Bi,Pb)-2212) was annealed just above the (Bi,Pb)-2212
stability line in order to maximise the level of Pb doping.
Screen-printed (Bi,Pb)-2212 tapes were melt-processed using a
combination of isothermal and isobaric steps. In the bulk
material the effect of Pb-doping on defect formation and
intra-granular critical current density (J/sub c/) was
investigated, and in the tapes the influence of Pb on
(Bi,Pb)-2212 grain formation and J/sub c/ was studied. Pb
solubility was found to increase with decreasing oxygen
partial pressure (pO/sub 2/) and Pb levels of up to x=0.6 for
Bi/sub 2.2-x/Pb/sub x/Sr/sub 1.8/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl
delta// were incorporated at low pO/sub 2/ in both bulk and
tape samples. The bulk samples showed nanoscale precipitates
of (Bi,Pb)-2212 embedded in the (Bi,Pb)-2212 matrix. In the
melt processed tapes, the high Pb levels led to reduced grain
sizes and poorer texture. J/sub c/ values were not enhanced
through incorporation of high levels of Pb. |
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Effects
of overpressure processing on porosity in Ag-sheathed Bi-2212
multifilamentary tapes with various
geometries J.L. Reeves, E.E.
Hellstrom, V. Irizarry and B. Lehndorff
Summary:
In long lengths of Bi-2212 tapes and wires, gases such
as CO/sub 2/ and H/sub 2/O can cause bubbling of the Ag-sheath
and porosity in the superconducting core. Applying a
pre-processing step, which consists of vacuum annealing and
annealing at 835/spl deg/C in 100% O/sub 2/ (VA+835),
eliminates H/sub 2/O and reduces CO/sub 2/ that evolves during
heating. To also counteract porosity, an overpressure heat
treatment was utilized. Air was compressed to 5 atm total
pressure (P/sub total/) while keeping pO/sub 2/ fixed at 1
atm. Thickness variations were measured for a number of
variables: with and without VA+835; P/sub total/ 1 or 5 atm;
and sample geometry such as round wires and rectangular tapes
with different silver wall thickness. Light micrographs and
SEM images show thin-walled monocore and multifilamentary
tapes bubble unless they are pre-processed. The size and shape
of pores in thick and thin multifilaments changes with
overpressure processing. Microstructures with smaller and more
uniformly distributed pores correlate with higher critical
current values. |
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Nondestructive
magneto-optical characterization of natural and artificial
defects on 3" HTSC wafers at liquid nitrogen
temperature J. Eisenmenger, J.
Schiessling, U. Bolz, B.-U. Runge, P. Leiderer, M. Lorenz, H.
Hochmuth, M. Wallenhorst and H. Dotsch
Summary:
Double-sided 3" HTSC wafers were characterized by the
magneto-optic technique. The presented apparatus allows a
nondestructive and fast detection of local and extended
inhomogeneities in the critical current density with high
lateral resolution in the micrometer range. Additional
gold-layers on the HTSC wafers, as they are sometimes used for
the device production, do not influence the characterization
result. The high sensitivity of the presented apparatus allows
even the detection of local defects at higher temperature (77
K) where contrasts in the critical current are weaker and the
magneto-optical characterization of HTSC thin films is much
more difficult than at lower temperatures. So the apparatus
can be used even under conditions where cooling with liquid
helium or closed-cycle refrigerators is not available. The
sensitivity was tested on natural and artificial defects, the
latter being prepared by means of a focused laser
beam. |
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Defect
visualization in large area YBCO thin films by magneto-optical
scanning technique M. Kuhn, B.
Schey, W. Biegel, B. Stritzker, J. Eisenmenger, P. Leiderer,
B. Heismann, H.-P. Kramer and H.-W.
Neumuller
Summary: Flux penetration in large
area YBCO thin films has been studied by a magneto-optical
scanning technique. With a new apparatus HTS films as large as
20 cm/spl times/20 cm can be investigated by scanning the
films through an inhomogeneous magnetic field. The apparatus
has been built to realize an effective homogeneity control of
the electrical properties of large area HTS thin films used
for device fabrication. Magnetic flux penetration into YBCO
thin films of different sizes and with intrinsic defects as
well as artificial ones have been studied at 50 K.
Magneto-optical measurements are compared with optical
microscopy (OM) and inductive j/sub c/-characterizations. A
correlation between the kind of defect and its influence on
the electrical properties has been studied with regard to
device applications, YBCO films structured especially for high
current applications were investigated magneto-optically.
These results will be compared to optical photographs of the
quenching process caused by currents I>I/sub
c/. |
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Influence
of growth temperature and composition on structural disorder
in YBCO thin films G. Gibson,
R.G. Humphreys, L.F. Cohen and J.L.
MacManus-Driscoll
Summary: Structural
disorder has been measured using Raman spectroscopy for a
series of films, which were grown by e-beam co-evaporation.
The growth temperature and the cation stoichiometry of YBCO
are essential parameters controlling the formation of
structural disorder. Higher growth temperatures and higher Y
fluxes produced more perfectly ordered films. Less spatial
variation occurs in films with lower amounts of structural
disorder. |
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Synchrotron
X-ray studies of ultra-high-quality crystalline YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// in submicron thick
films W.J. Lin, D. Hatton, F.
Baudenbacher and J. Santiso
Summary: The
crystal structure of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta//
thin film grown on SrTiO/sub 3/ substrate was studied by
high-resolution X-ray scattering using synchrotron radiation.
The films were found to consist of two major components:
mosaic aligned grains and an ultra-high-quality single-crystal
film. The scattering of the former component gave the normal
diffraction pattern and its coherent grain size was
determined, by fitting the Bragg reflection profiles, to be
2500 /spl Aring/ (horizontal) and 100 /spl Aring/ (vertical).
The signature of the ultra-high-quality film was only observed
in low index Bragg reflections. From analysis of the peak
profiles, the coherent length of this component was found to
be tens of microns (horizontal) and 1800 /spl Aring/
(vertical, the entire film thickness). An exponential strain
field was found close to the interface which causes asymmetry
in the /spl theta/-2/spl theta/ direction. We also found that
the scattering intensity of this single crystal film was
affected by the correlated roughnesses on the lattice planes,
which replicate from the roughness of the substrate surface
during growth. The Debye-Waller like roughness factor quickly
diminishes the reflectivity as the diffraction angle (2/spl
theta/) increases, which prevents the observation of the
ultra-high-quality film at high angle Bragg reflections.
Furthermore, our results indicate that 95% of the film volume
is occupied by this excellent single-crystal film. It is clear
that the superconducting properties of the sample will reflect
this high quality film, rather than the 5% mosaic grains.
These observations may help to account for the enhanced
transport properties of thin film compared to their bulk
counterparts. |
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Improved
structural properties and surface morphology of Nd/sub
1+x/Ba/sub 2-x/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// thin films
deposited by d.c. magnetron
sputtering M. Salluzzo, I.
Maggio-Aprile and O. Fischer
Summary: We
report the fabrication of very smooth NdBCO thin films
deposited by d.c. magnetron sputtering using Nd rich target
(EDX composition Nd/sub 1.12/Ba/sub 1.88/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl
delta//). Films characterized by critical temperature (R=0)
higher than 90 K and maximum roughness lower than 2-3 nm on
large areas are routinely obtained on SrTiO/sub 3/ non-vicinal
substrates. STM studies performed in situ in UHV environment,
show a 2D nucleation mechanism of the growth preserved up to a
thickness higher than 100 nm. This is in contrast to the
common observation of screw dislocations starting from 10-12
nm in c-axis ReBCO thin films, that gives rise to an increase
of the roughness with thickness. We compare the growth modes,
the superconducting, and the structural properties of our
NdBCO thin films deposited by d.c. magnetron sputtering from
stoichiometric and Nd-rich targets, on different kind of
substrates. The experimental results are discussed in the
framework of the role of Nd/Ba substitution in the properties
of Nd/sub 1+x/Ba/sub 2-x/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// thin
films. |
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Melt
processing of Bi-2212 on MgO and MgO-buffered
substrates M.J. Naylor and C.R.M.
Grovenor
Summary: Bi-2212 thick films have
been prepared by full and partial melt processing to
investigate the suitability of MgO substrates in
polycrystalline, single crystal and buffer layer formats.
There is a marked difference in microstructural and electrical
properties between thick films on polycrystalline and single
crystal MgO substrates. This is attributed to the degree of
interaction between the liquid phase and substrate during
melting. The thickness of films on single crystal MgO
substrates is an important consideration in the optimization
of the superconducting transport properties. |
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Effects
of Pb doping on the microstructure and superconductivity of
bulk BSCCO 2212 A.K.M. Alamgir,
H. Yamada, N. Harada, K. Osaki and N. Tada
Summary:
BSCCO 2212 suffers from intrinsic weak flux pinning
above /spl sim/20 K. From the view point of practical
applications, it is particularly important to expand the
irreversible regime up to considerably higher temperatures.
BSCCO 2212 (molar ratio Bi:Pb:Sr:Ca:Cu:O=2-x:x:2:1:2) bulk
samples have been synthesized using partial-melt processing in
air with Pb contents x up to 0.8. Pb doping has been shown to
reduce the melting temperature as well as improve the
irreversibility field, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron
microscopy along with superconducting property measurement
were carried out to investigate the phase evolution and
microstructure. Melt texturing showed considerably large
plate-like grains with enhanced 001 reflection peaks. Effects
of the Pb doping on the melt processing and superconductivity
as a function of temperature and magnetic field will be
discussed. |
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Structures
and superconducting properties of Bi-2212 oxide cylinders
prepared by the dip-coating and subsequent diffusion
reaction Y. Yamada, K. Itoh, K.
Wada and K. Tachikawa
Summary: Bi-2212 oxide
superconductors have been synthesized by the diffusion
reaction between a high melting point Bi-free oxide substrate
and a low melting point Bi-based oxide coating layer. The
substrate is composed of Sr-Ca-Cu oxides with atom I/sub c/
ratio of 2:1:2-3.5, and sintered into cylindrical rods and
tubes. The coating layer is composed of the Bi-Cu eutectic
oxide with a small amount of Ag addition, and coated around
the substrate by dipping into the molten Bi-Cu oxide at
790/spl deg/C. The heat treatment is performed to produce
Bi-2212 diffusion layer at 810-870/spl deg/C in air. The
Bi-2212 diffusion layer, 100-150 /spl mu/m in thickness, shows
a high density and oriented structure with plate-like grains.
The maximum transport I/sub c/ and J/sub c/ of the diffusion
layer exceed 300 A and 25000 A/cm/sup 2/ at 4.2 K under
self-field, respectively. Post annealing in argon gas
atmosphere improves T/sub c/ and J/sub c/ at higher
temperature of the specimen. Present Bi-2212 oxide cylinders
with large transport I/sub c/ and J/sub c/ seem to be
promising as current leads and magnetic shields. The
dip-coating process is more convenient for the practical
fabrication of Bi-2212 oxide cylinders in comparison with the
conventional slurry-coating process. |
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Modification
of bulk properties of Bi/sub 1.8/Pb/sub 0.33/Sr/sub
1.87/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/ tapes by means of ion induced
surface trenches E. Mezzetti, E.
Crescio, R. Gerbaldo, G. Ghigo, L. Gozzelino, B. Minetti, L.
Gherardi, L. Martini, G. Cuttone and A.
Rovelli
Summary: This paper demonstrates the
possibility to enhance predictably the behavior of the
superconducting properties in a bulk material, by introducing
linearly correlated defects within a surface layer. Columnar
defects, having a depth of about 5% of the total thickness of
the sample, were created on Ag/BSCCO-2223 tapes by means of
0.25 GeV Au ions at different fluences, with a dose equivalent
field B/sub /spl phi// ranging from 1 T to 5 T. The
implantation depth was about 15% of the total thickness of the
sample. The shape and position of the irreversibility lines
were deeply modified. The vortex dynamics, as investigated by
a.c. susceptometry in d.c. magnetic field, exhibits features
characteristics of Bose-glass like localization in a range of
field between the onset of the localized phase and the dose
equivalent field. From all the experimental data it emerges
that the strategy of creating surface trenches for vortices is
always largely effective in this range of magnetic
fields. |
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Microstructure
and critical currents in AgMg-sheathed multifilamentary Bi/sub
2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8/
tapes Q.Y. Hu, P.V.P.S.S. Sastry,
U.P. Trociewitz and J. Schwartz
Summary: For
the Ag-sheathed Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8/ tapes,
the high Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8/ phase purity
with an appropriate oxygen concentration and excellent grain
alignment are responsible for high critical currents. Many
fabrication parameters influence the Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub
2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8/ phase content and microstructure of the
tapes, which have been investigated by many researchers. In
this paper, we present results of AgMg-sheathed Bi/sub
2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8/ heat treatment optimization and
characterization. With the help of physical analytical methods
such as ESEM, and XRD, the melt temperature is related to the
transport measurements. |
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Study
of superconducting to normal transition propagation in
BSCCO2212 fibers L.
Garcia-Tabares, J. Calero, P. Abramian, F. Toral, A. Grau,
L.A. Angurel and J.C. Diez
Summary: This
paper describes and analyzes the transition process to the
normal state in BSCCO 2212 fibers grown using a LFZ process.
To study this transition a specific installation was developed
allowing to test and measure fibers under pulsed operation.
The origin and the propagation mechanism of the transition
have been analyzed, and models to predict the evolution of
magnitudes such as the resistance or the temperature are
proposed and verified with experimental
measurements. |
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Reaction
mechanism and microstructure of PAIR (per-annealing and
intermediate rolling) processed Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub
2/O/sub x//Ag tapes T. Hasegawa,
T. Koizumi, Y. Aoki, H. Kitaguchi, H. Miao, H. Kumakura and K.
Togano
Summary: The effects of the PAIR
process on the chemical reaction during partial melting and
solidification were analyzed. There was no significant
difference in the partial melting behavior detected by thermal
analysis between PAIR processed and control samples. However,
the HT-XRD and SEM analyses indicated that, in the samples
processed by the PAIR technique, the (CaSr)CuO/sub 2/ crystals
did not grow at the surface of the liquid phase but segregated
as small particles in the well aligned superconducting layers.
This can be explained by the high packing density in the PAIR
processed tapes, which resulted in the formation of a uniform
liquid phase and ideal solidification. |
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Stoichiometric
variations of Bi 2212 electrophoretically deposited thick
films B.R. Balmer, C.R.M.
Grovenor and R. Riddle
Summary: Thick films
of Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub x/ have been
manufactured from a variety of starting powders. The prime
objective of this study is to keep the density of large
secondary phases to a minimum whilst not disturbing the
processability of the superconductor. This work focuses on
changes in source powder composition. We have found that very
small changes in stoichiometry can affect the melting
behaviour and J/sub c/ of the films, and the density of
alkaline earth cuprate phases. It was found that powder sold
as "partially reacted" (annealed at 800/spl deg/C) was best,
and that using this production route, powder with a slight
deficiency in either Ca or Cu gave the highest J/sub c/
values, exceeding 8000 A cm/sup -2/, in self-field at 77
K. |
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Inhomogeneous
distribution of flux pinning strength and its effect on
irreversibility line and vortex glass-liquid transition line
in Bi-2212 tapes M. Kiuchi, T.
Matsushita, Y. Nakayama and N. Takase
Summary:
The irreversibility line and the vortex glass-liquid
transition line under a magnetic field parallel to the c-axis
are investigated for silver-sheathed and dip-coated Bi-2212
tape wires. It is found that the two characteristic lines for
silver-sheathed tape is well explained by the flux creep-flow
model assuming the distribution of pinning strength with a
single peak. On the other hand, general agreements are
obtained for these characteristic lines and the critical
current density between experiments and theory only when two
peaks are assumed in the distribution of flux pinning strength
for the dip-coated tape. The causative structure in the
dip-coated tape for the peak at small strength in the
distribution is discussed. |
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Microstructure
and properties of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O with additions of
nanometer-scale alumina K.C.
Goretta, M.M. Cuber, L.R. Feng, B.L. Fisher, M. Jiang, M.T.
Lanagan, U. Balachandran, Y. Xu and M. Xu
Summary:
Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ particles /spl ap/30 nm in size were
added to Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub x/ in a 1:4 molar
ratio. For comparison, 0.3- and /spl ap/3-/spl mu/m Al/sub
2/O/sub 3/ particles were added to separate batches. All of
the materials were partial-melt processed. The Al/sub 2/O/sub
3/ reacted during melting to form stable compounds, primarily
of approximate composition (Sr,Ca)/sub 2/AlO/sub 4/. All
additions caused slight decreases in the T/sub c/ and melting
point of the Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub x/. The
submicrometer Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ additions induced large
expansions in magnetic-hysteresis width at 6 K. Electron
microscopy examination strongly suggested that the hysteresis
expansion was related to alloying of the Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub
2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub x/ matrix rather than to pinning by volume
defects. |
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Near-net-shape
fabrication of continuous Ag-clad Bi-based
superconductors M.T. Lanagan,
K.C. Goretta, D.K. Walter, R.B. Poeppel, R. Troendly, M.J.
McNallan and S. Danyluk
Summary: We have
developed a near-net-shape process for Ag-clad Bi-2212
superconductors. This alternative to the powder-in-tube
process offers the advantages of nearly continuous processing,
minimization of processing steps, reasonable ability to
control the Bi-2212/Ag ratio, and early development of
favorable texture of the Bi-2212 grains. The powder is rolled
into an Ag channel, a cap is applied, and the assembly is
lightly rolled. To minimize distortion during heat treatment,
it is especially important that the Bi-2212 powder be nearly
free of volatile species such as carbon. A vacuum-calcination
process was developed to control CO/sub 2/ evolution during
heating. Superconducting properties are
discussed. |
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A
new symmetrical arrangement of tape-shaped multifilaments for
Bi-2212/Ag round-shaped wire M.
Okada, K. Tanaka, T. Wakuda, K. Ohata, J. Sato, H. Kumakura,
T. Kiyoshi, H. Kitaguchi, K. Togano and H.
Wada
Summary: A new Bi-2212/Ag round-shaped
wire with tape-shaped multifilaments has been successfully
developed. The wire includes 126-960 tape-shaped filaments
with triple rotation symmetry, having a good crystal alignment
in each filament. We refer to the new wire as ROSATwire,
(ROtation-Symmetric Arranged Tape-in-tube wire). Since the
ROSATwire structure yields complete symmetrical arrangement of
the tape-shaped filaments, it eliminates the need for a
rolling machine, but allows us to use a drawing or extrusion
machine. We found that the present wire fabrication process
markedly improves not only productivity and lowers cost, but
also enhances the transport J/sub c/ of the Bi-21212/Ag wire.
The I/sub c/ and J/sub c/ reached >340 A and 1000 A/mm/sup
2/ at 28 T and 4 K. |
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Local
J/sub c/ distribution in superconducting oxide layer of Bi/sub
2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub x//Ag
tapes Y. Hishinuma, H. Kitaguchi,
H. Kumakura, K. Itoh, K. Togano, H. Miao and B.
Chenevier
Summary: The relationship between
critical current (I/sub c/) and the thickness of oxide layer
of Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub x/(Bi-2212)/Ag composite
superconductor has been studied to clarify local critical
current density (J/sub c/) distribution in the oxide layer.
The comparison of local J/sub c/ (J/sub c//sup local/)
distribution of the samples prepared with and without PAIR
(P_re-A_nnealing and I_ntermediate R_olling) process gives an
explanation for the large J/sub c/ enhancement by PAIR
process. J/sub c/ of oxide layer within 2 /spl mu/m from the
Bi-2212/Ag interface exceeds 3.8/spl times/10/sup 5/ A cm/sup
-2/ at 4.2 K, 10 T. No significant increase of J/sub c//sup
local/ is confirmed in the Bi-2212 layer below 2 /spl mu/m
from the interface. However, J/sub c//sup local/ increases by
performing PAIR process in the middle part of the Bi-2212
layer of 2-15 /spl mu/m from the interface. J/sub c//sup
local/ is 2.4/spl times/10/sup 5/ A cm/sup -2/ and 1.0/spl
times/10/sup 5/ A cm/sup -2/ at a distance of 5 pm and 10 /spl
mu/m from the interface, respectively. The results indicate
that the large J/sub c/ enhancement by PAIR process is
assigned to higher J/sub c//sup local/ in this middle part.
J/sub c/ improvement in the part near the free surface is also
achieved by PAIR process and contributes to high J/sub
c/. |
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Continuous
production of Bi-2212 thick film on silver
tape A.Y. Ilyushechkin, B.
Williams, F. Lo, T. Yamashita and P. Talbot
Summary:
Bi-2212 thick film on silver tapes are seen as a simple
and low cost alternative to high temperature superconducting
wires produced by the Powder In Tube (PIT) technique,
particularly in react and wind applications. A rig for the
continuous production of Bi-2212 tapes for use in react and
wind component manufacture has been developed and
commissioned. The rig consists of several sections, each fully
automatic, for task specific duties in the production of HTS
tape. The major sections are: tape coating, sintering and
annealing. High temperature superconducting tapes with
engineering critical current densities of 10 kA/cm/sup 2/ (77
K, self field), and lengths of up to 100 m have been produced
using the rig. Properties of the finished tape are discussed
and results are presented for current density versus bend
radius and applied strain. Depending on tape content and
thickness, irreversible strain /spl epsi//sub irrev/, varies
between 0.03 and 0.1%. Cyclic bending tests when applied
strain does not exceed /spl epsi//sub irrev/, showed
negligible reduction in J/sub c/ along the length of the
tape. |
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Evaluation
of adhesion strength of sol-gel ceramic insulation for HTS
magnets E. Celik, J. Schwartz, E.
Avci and Y.S. Hascicek
Summary: Adhesion
strength of high temperature insulation materials deposited on
silver was investigated. CeO/sub 2/ and ZrO/sub 2/ based
coatings on Ag substrates were prepared by the sol-gel
technique. Experiments for determining the adhesion strength
between insulations and silver were performed using a mini
tensile testing machine. The microstructures of coatings and
their interfaces were determined by means of SEM, EDS, and
X-ray diffraction. The results indicated that the failure was
in the form of a mixed type as interfacial/cohesive defect.
The average adhesive strength of ZrO/sub 2/, CeO/sub 2/,
ZrO/sub 2/+20 wt%MgO, Zr/sub O/2+8 wt%Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/,
ZrO/sub 2/+8 wt%CeO/sub 2/, ZrO/sub 2/+15 wt%In/sub 2/O/sub 3/
and ZrO/sub 2/+15 wt%SnO/sub 2/ were found to be 0.763, 0.913,
1.045, 1.150, 0.915 0.833 and 0.797 MPa, respectively. Y/sub
2/O/sub 3/, MgO, and CeO/sub 2/ doped ZrO/sub 2/ showed the
best adhesive properties. |
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Microwave
properties of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x/ films grown by
liquid phase epitaxy S. Miura,
Jian-Guo Wen, K. Suzuki, T. Morishita, T. Yoshitake, G. Fujii
and S. Suzuki
Summary: Microstrip resonators
and filters have been fabricated, using liquid phase
epitaxially grown YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x/ films on
MgO[100] substrates. A microstrip resonator at 10.8 GHz with a
YBCO ground plane shows unloaded Q values of 14200 at 77 K and
23300 at 40 K. A microstrip four-pole band-pass filter, with a
midband frequency of 10 GHz and a fractional bandwidth of 2%
shows an insertion loss less than 0.2 dB and a return loss
better than 15 dB at 77 K. The nonlinear behavior of this
filter was studied by inter-modulation distortion
measurements. This filter shows relatively high power handling
capabilities with a third-order intercept point of +65 dBm at
77 K. |
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Analyses
of the electromagnetic properties of oxide superconductors by
the SRPM method H. Miyairi, T.
Kodaira, S. Yamazaki, H. Nakane, S. Haseyama and S.
Kohayashi
Summary: /spl Delta/Z (the
difference in the impedance of a solenoid coil with and
without a superconductive sample) of 0, 10, 20 and 30 wt%
Ag-doped YBaCuO (c-axis oriented) and a Bi-based sintered
sample were measured by the SRPM method between 200 Hz and 1
MHz at room temperature and liquid N/sub 2/ temperatures. At
room temperature, frequency dependence of /spl Delta/Z was
observed in both samples. These dependencies were analyzed
using a serial circuit having the same resistance and
inductance as the samples by which the existence of /spl
Delta/Z was confirmed. Below T/sub c/, only /spl Delta/Z of a
Bi-based sample was measured between 200 Hz and 1 MHz. /spl
Delta/R (the real part of /spl Delta/Z) was evaluated as a
function of frequency(f). /spl Delta/R from 0.25 to 1 kHz is
assumed to be proportional to f/sup 2/ (normal skin effect).
/spl Delta/R from 1 kHz to 50 kHz is proportional to f/sup
5/3/ (anomalous skin effect). /spl Delta/R from 50 kHz to 700
kHz is proportional to f/sup 2/3/ (anomalous skin effect). It
was found that /spl Delta/R between 1 kHz and 700 kHz agrees
with the property obtained by the equation confirming that it
is in the region of anomalous skin effect. |
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Measurements
and modeling of HTS shielded dielectric
resonators N.J. Parker, A.P.
Kharel, J.R. Powell, P.A. Smith, P.D. Evans and A.
Porch
Summary: We have performed accurate,
reproducible and nondestructive measurements of the surface
resistance of high quality YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/
(YBCO) thin films in the temperature range 12 K to T/sub c/
using a compact rutile dielectric resonator method at 9.6 GHz.
The absolute values of the HTS surface resistance have been
measured to systematic errors of less than 10 /spl mu//spl
Omega/ at this frequency using this technique, which employs
two resonator configurations with carefully chosen geometries.
The resonators have unloaded Q factors of around 10/sup 5/ at
77 K, increasing to above 5.10/sup 5/ below 15 K. We have used
three dimensional electromagnetic software ("Superfish") to
study the effects of the copper shield on these rutile
(TiO/sub 2/) measurements, and others using lanthanum
aluminate (LaAlO/sub 3/) as the dielectric material. In the
latter case, there are significant uncertainties (as large as
100%) in the measurements of the surface resistance of the
YBCO films owing to the smaller field energy filling factor
for LaAlO/sub 3/ since it has a lower relative permittivity
than rutile. |
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Microwave
surface resistance of YBCO thin films on cerium oxide
buffer M. Kusunoki, T. Suto, D.
Okai, Y. Tanako, M. Mukaida and S. Ohshima
Summary:
The effects of the crystallinity and surface roughness
of CeO/sub 2/ buffer on R-plane Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ substrate on
the microwave surface resistance (R/sub s/) of YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/(YBCO) thin films are discussed. We
estimated R/sub s/ from the transmission characteristics of
the microstrip line resonator at 25 K and 6.7 GHz. X-ray
diffraction (XRD) of /spl theta/-2/spl theta/ and /spl
phi/-scan showed that CeO/sub 2/ was completely [001]-oriented
and in-plane aligned crystal. Four CeO/sub 2/ samples with
different thicknesses were prepared using identical conditions
except for the deposition time. The dependence of R/sub s/ on
CeO/sub 2/ thickness was measured in the range from 10 nm to
200 nm. The value of R/sub s/ was minimum at CeO/sub 2/
thickness of 100 nm. The dependence of R/sub s/ vs CeO/sub 2/
thickness was similar to that of the amount of a-axis domains
against the thickness. The crystallinity of thin CeO/sub 2/
was poor because the lattice was strongly strained by Al/sub
2/O/sub 3/. This affected the quality of the upper YBCO layer.
In contrast, thick CeO/sub 2/ had excellent crystallinity.
However, for the thickness of more than 100 nm a drastic
change in surface morphology was observed by atomic force
microscopy (AFM). A number of projections appeared on the
CeO/sub 2/ surface. These projections act as nucleation
centers for the a-axis domains. |
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Ag-doped
double-sided PLD-YBCO thin films for passive microwave devices
in future communication
systems M. Lorenz, H. Hochmuth,
D. Natusch, G. Lippold, V.L. Svetchnikov, T. Kaiser, M.A.
Hein, R. Schwab and R. Heidinger
Summary:
Pulsed laser deposited (PLD) Ag-doped YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-x/ (YBCO) thin films on both sides of 3-inch
diameter sapphire wafers are used routinely for development of
microwave filters for future communication systems. The
reproducibly deposited YBCO:Ag films of about 250 nm thickness
show critical current densities of 4 MA/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K and
laterally homogeneous maps of microwave surface resistance
R/sub s/ of about 45 m/spl Omega/ at 145 GHz and 77 K measured
by an open resonator technique. The R/sub s/ at 8.4 GHz and 77
K determined in the center position of the YBCO:Ag films with
a sapphire resonator technique remains constant at about 380
/spl mu//spl Omega/ up to a microwave surface magnetic field
of 7-10 mT. Correlations of transport and microwave properties
to the film microstructure are shown in terms of in-plane
epitaxy, size of particulates on the films, and composition
ratios Cu/O and Y/O, and growth defects like stacking faults
as shown by Raman spectroscopy, SEM, and SNMS depth profiling,
and TEM cross sections, respectively. The optimum Ag-content
of the PLD-YBCO target was determined to be about 4 weight -%.
The results demonstrate that Ag-doping supports the PLD
process for YBCO in terms of reliability and cost
effectiveness. |
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Surface
resistance of screen-printed Bi2223 thick films on Ag and
dielectric ceramic substrates T.
Tatekawa, N. Matsui, Y. Kintaka, Y. Ishikawa, K. Fujikawa, M.
Tanaka and A. Oota
Summary: Surface
resistance R/sub s/ of screen-printed (Bi,Pb)/sub 2/Sr/sub
2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x/ thick films on Ag, MgO, and
Ba(Sn,Mg,Ta)O/sub 3/ substrates was measured at 10.7 GHz in
the temperature range between 20 and 130 K using a dielectric
resonator method. For thick films on Ag substrates, it becomes
lower than that for a Cu plate as temperature decreases below
100 K, and reaches 1.7 m/spl Omega/ at 77 K and 0.3 m/spl
Omega/ at 30 K. The use of MgO or Ba(Sn,Mg,Ta)O/sub 3/
dielectric substrate for film fabrication causes some
degradation in the value of R/sub s/, while still being
superior to that for a Cu plate below 80 K. From a practical
point of view, the (Bi,Pb)/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub x/ thick films were screen-printed on both sides of
Ba(Sn,Mg,Ta)O/sub 3/ disk to serve as superconducting
electrodes for the dielectric resonator. The unloaded quality
factor Q/sub n/ for the resonator at 2.1 GHz on a TM/sub 010/
mode is superior to the same dielectric resonator with Cu
electrodes below 90 K. It is 3 times higher than the value for
the resonator with Cu electrodes at 70 K and also 5 times
higher at 30 K. |
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Spatially
resolved measurements of HTS microwave surface
impedance L. Hao and J.C.
Gallop
Summary: We describe further
development of a novel technique for the characterization of
microwave properties of HTS films which allows the spatial
variation of this important physical parameter to be measured.
The method employs a dielectric puck system that can be moved
over the surface of a large HTS wafer, sampling the surface
impedance at a number of discrete frequencies between 5 and 15
GHz. The surface impedance can also be rapidly measured as a
function of microwave magnetic field strength. Spatial
resolution for the prototype system is as small as 1-2 mm. The
surface resistance and the shift in surface reactance can be
measured by using a loop oscillator which can be interrupted
by a fast microwave switch. The decay of microwave power in
the resonator is then monitored as a function of time to
determine the power dependent surface impedance parameters.
This process is extremely fast and straightforward and the
loop oscillator configuration permits only relatively
inexpensive components to be used. We describe measurements
made at 11.5 GHz of the spatial variation of the non-linear
surface impedance of a number of HTS films at 77
K. |
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Microwave
surface resistance of YBCO bulk samples prepared by addition
of HgO to YBCO system M. Misra,
A. Pandey, N.D. Kataria, R.G. Sharma and G.P.
Srivastava
Summary: The paper reports
microwave surface resistance (R/sub s/) measurement on yttrium
barium copper oxide (YBCO) bulk samples, prepared by an
alternate route, namely by addition of mercury oxide (HgO) to
YBCO system. R/sub s/ is measured using a TE/sub 011/ mode
cylindrical cavity, at 20 GHz, by the end plate substitution
technique. HgO added to the YBCO system has the advantage that
oxygen in HgO acts as a copious source of oxygen and therefore
does not require sintering in oxygen flow. Powder X-ray
diffraction studies confirm the formation of pure orthorhombic
123 phase without any indication of Hg or known Hg compounds.
The specimen with 0.5 wt.% of HgO added to the YBCO system
showed superior superconducting properties including microwave
surface resistance (22.5 m/spl Omega/ at 77 K and 20.0014
GHz). The R/sub s/ has also been measured as a function of the
area of the sample that yields consistent value confirming
surface homogeneity. This is believed due to stoichiometric
oxygenation and large number of well connected
grains. |
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Ion-beam
milling of YBCO thin films and their characterization by
time-resolved pump-probe
method M. Hangyo, S. Nashima, M.
Kawamura, S. Shikii and M. Tonouchi
Summary:
YBCO films are exposed to Ar ion beams in order to
obtain flat surfaces and they are characterized by the
time-resolved reflection pump-probe method excited with
femtosecond optical pulses. The amplitudes of the reflectivity
change of the ion-beam processed films are smaller than that
of the as-grown ones and the decay time decreases by the
ion-beam etching. These results are discussed in relation to
the changes of the supercarrier density and the relaxation
time of quasiparticles by the ion-beam milling. |
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Numerical
optimization of hybrid dielectric/HTS resonators for surface
impedance evaluation of HTS
films C. Collado, D. Gonzalo, E.
Rozan, J.M. O'Callaghan and C. Sans
Summary:
This work describes an alternative to the traditional
dielectric resonator topology used for measuring surface
impedance in high temperature superconducting (HTS) films. A
gap is introduced above the dielectric so that only the lower
film is in direct contact with it. This arrangement has been
used extensively for mechanical tuning of dielectric
resonators and, when used for surface impedance measurement,
it can be designed to make the losses in the upper film small
relative to the overall resonator losses. Then, measured
results are mostly due to one of the films and not the average
of two. The specifics of a resonator design for measuring
2-inch wafers are presented. An analysis and optimization of
the resonator is done using a numerically efficient
mode-matching algorithm. |
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Scanning
Hall probe measurements on single- and double-sided sputtered
YBCO films for microwave
applications A. Cassinese, M.
Getta, M. Hein, T. Kaiser, H.G. Kurschner, B. Lehndorff, G.
Muller, H. Piel and B. Skriba
Summary: We
have investigated the quality and the homogeneity of YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ (YBCO) films up to /spl phi/=2" diameter
and t=360 nm in thickness with a scanning Hall probe. The YBCO
films were grown by high oxygen pressure sputtering with
heater temperature compensation up to T=1020/spl deg/C,
resulting in a constant growth temperature for both film
sides. Typical /spl phi/=1" double-sided films on LaAlO/sub 3/
substrates revealed inductively T/sub c/=87.8(88.2) K and
J/sub c/=4(4.5) MA/cm/sup 2/ for the first (second) deposited
side. Surface resistance measurements at 87 GHz resulted in
R/sub s/(4.2 K)=2.6 (1.6) m/spl Omega/. At 19 GHz, R/sub
s/(4.2 K)=0.2 m/spl Omega/ with moderate field dependence up
to B/sub s/=15 mT was obtained for both sides. The scanning
Hall probe measurements have been carried out after cooling
the film in an external magnetic field and then switching it
off. The local J/sub c/ values deduced from the measured
remanent induction B were in good agreement with inductive
data taken at corresponding positions. Different kinds of
defects and inhomogeneities were investigated with a spatial
resolution of 1 mm. |
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Ion-beam
assisted deposition of bi-axially aligned MgO template films
for YBCO coated conductors J.R.
Groves, P.N. Arendt, S.R. Foltyn, R.F. DePaula, E.J. Peterson,
T.G. Holesinger, J.Y. Coulter, R.W. Springer, C.P. Wang and
R.H. Hammond
Summary: We report the results
of experiments with ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) of MgO
using in-situ monitoring with Reflected High-Energy Electron
Diffraction (RHEED). Strips of polished Haynes 242 and Inconel
625 nickel-based super-alloys have been used as substrates for
these experiments. The in-plane texture of the MgO, as
measured by X-ray /spl phi/ scan, resulted in FWHM values
between 11 and 15/spl deg/. Using pulsed-laser deposition, the
IBAD MgO template films were then overcoated with buffer layer
films and a final superconducting film of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-/spl delta//. The best superconducting transport
properties measured on these YBCO films were: an Ic (75 K,
self-field, 1 cm wide) of 41.6 A, and a narrow-bridge J/sub c/
(1.35 /spl mu/m thick film) of 0.46 MA/cm/sup
2/. |
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Reel-to-reel
continuous deposition of epitaxial CeO/sub 2/ buffer layers on
biaxially textured Ni tapes by electron beam
evaporation X. Cui, F.A. List,
D.M. Kroeger, A. Goyal, D.F. Lee, J. Mathis, E.D. Specht, P.M.
Martin, R. Feenstra, D.T. Verebelyi, D.K. Christen and M.
Paranthaman
Summary: A reel-to-reel, electron
beam evaporation system has been developed to continuously
deposit epitaxial CeO/sub 2/ and other oxide buffer layers on
meter-long lengths of biaxially textured Ni tapes. The
deposition system includes two interconnected electron beam
evaporation chambers and a chamber in which as-rolled Ni tape
is in situ annealed to develop biaxial texture. An integral
reel-to-reel system with tension control enables motion of the
tape with little or no plastic deformation. When depositing
epitaxial oxides on Ni, the formation of unfavorably oriented
NiO is difficult to avoid. Oxide free, {100}<100>
oriented Ni tapes are prepared by control of the partial
pressures of H/sub 2/, H/sub 2/O and O/sub 2/ during Ni
annealing. X-ray /spl phi/-scans have been performed as a
function of length to determine the crystallographic
consistency of the epitaxial CeO/sub 2/ over length. Results
of SEM examinations of the CeO/sub 2/ buffer layer
microstructure are presented. Results for YBCO films deposited
on short segments of these buffered substrates are
summarized. |
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Processing
of Y123 coated conductors using metal organic
decomposition S. Sathyamurthy and
K. Salama
Summary: Processing of Y123 and
barium zirconate films using scalable metal organic
decomposition (MOD) techniques and their application to the
development of coated conductors is investigated. Thick films
of Y123 have been processed on single crystal substrates using
the decomposition of metal trifluoroacetates. X-ray
diffraction and pole figure analysis of films deposited on
[100] strontium titanate and lanthanum aluminate single
crystal substrates show that these films have good phase
purity and a very high degree of alignment with the substrate
both out-of-plane (<0.5/spl deg/) and in-plane (<1.5/spl
deg/). These chemically derived films were also found to have
critical current densities greater than 0.5 MA/cm/sup 2/ at 77
K for 0.5 /spl mu/m thick films. Barium zirconate films have
been processed on single crystal substrates using the
decomposition of a stoichiometric mixture of barium acetate
and zirconium pentanedionate. X-ray characterization of these
films shows a strong tendency to texture, and scanning
electron micrographs of these films shows that they have an
extremely smooth and uniform surface. Y123 films processed on
these buffered single crystals have a dense microstructure
with a strong tendency to texture. Thus, the possibility of
application of these processing techniques on flexible
substrates offers promise to the fabrication of long length
coated conductors. |
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Thermal
cycling behavior of YBCO high temperature superconductor thick
films F. Yang, Y. Liu, K.H. Wu
and G. Larkins
Summary: Thermal cycling
behavior of YBCO high temperature superconductor thick films
coated on different ceramic substrates was studied. It was
found that the YBCO superconductor thick film coated on MgO
substrate has a better thermal cycle resistance than Al/sub
2/O/sub 3/ substrate; the cycle number for initiating thermal
fatigue crack significantly decreases as the thermal cycling
temperature range increases. Film thickness was found to have
an influence on thermal cycling resistance for thicknesses in
the range of 70 to 100 /spl mu/m. A simple thermal mechanical
model is employed to describe the thermal stress, and the
thermal cycles of failure of YBCO thick films. |
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High
growth rate deposition techniques for coated conductors:
liquid phase epitaxy and vapor-liquid-solid
growth I. Hirabayashi, Y.
Yoshida, Y. Yamada, Y. Koike and K.
Matsumoto
Summary: High growth rate
deposition techniques for coated conductors are developed via
liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) and vapor-liquid-solid (VLS)
growth. By adding fluorine and silver under low oxygen partial
pressure, the processing temperature of LPE decreased down to
850/spl deg/C and it enabled us to grow YBCO on metallic
substrates such as cube-textured silver tapes. On the other
hand, VLS growth is a combinatorial deposition technique
between vapor growth and LPE. It is essentially a LPE growth
supplied from the vapor phase. Here, we discuss the
utilization of VLS growth as a rapid vapor growth for
production of YBCO coated conductor. |
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In-plane
aligned YBCO thick films on {110} rolled and single crystal
silver by ultrasonic mist
pyrolysis J.J. Wells, A.
Crossley, R. Sweeney and J.L.
MacManus-Driscoll
Summary: An ultrasonic mist
pyrolysis system has been used to fabricate thick films of
YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ (YBCO) on rolled and single
crystal silver substrates. The substrates were heated to
900/spl deg/C and nitrate solutions of the constituent cations
were sprayed using a nitrogen carrier gas. Highly c-axis
aligned YBCO films were obtained by deposition at a rate of
/spl sim/1 /spl mu/m per minute. Phase pure YBCO formed up to
a limit of /spl sim/6 /spl mu/m. For thicker films, BaCuO/sub
2/ and Y/sub 2/BaCuO/sub 5/ also formed. On {110} oriented
single crystal silver, the films showed in-plane alignment
with a four fold symmetry, and the FWHM in the azimuthal
direction of the main peaks was /spl sim/3/spl deg/. On the
polycrystalline substrate the in-plane texture showed a /spl
sim/20/spl deg/ FWHM, equivalent to that of {110}<110>
textured silver substrate. The onset of superconducting
transition was measured as /spl sim/90.2K for sample with a
film thickness of /spl sim/5 /spl mu/m. |
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In-plane
magnetization and hysteresis losses in YBCO thick
films A. Rastogi, H. Yamasaki and
A. Sawa
Summary: We present our observations
of hysteretic magnetization of c-axis oriented thick (1-2 /spl
mu/m) YBCO films in parallel fields. For other orientations of
the field, the magnetization is reported to be mainly due to
the c-axis component (M/sub c/sin/spl theta/) because of a
large aspect ratio of the film. But our observations at low
fields (/spl les/100 mT) did not follow such behavior.
Moreover, the in-plane magnetization is affected by an
artifact introduced during the deposition of such thick films.
We discuss our results in the framework of Bean's model after
removing the artifact. |
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Oxidation
of multilayer HTS digital
circuits J. Talvacchio, R.M.
Young, M.G. Forrester and B.D. Hunt
Summary:
The issue of oxygen diffusion through insulating layers
to buried superconductor films is common to any multilayer
structure based on YBCO. Our earliest technique for obtaining
fully oxidized underlayers on a practical time scale used
reduced growth temperatures for strontium titanate insulating
films to introduce defects which enabled oxygen diffusion
while maintaining the integrity of electrical isolation. Since
this approach did not work well with Sr-Al-Ta-O (SAT) and
Sr-Al-Nb-O (SAN) insulators which have more desirable
dielectric properties, a plasma oxidation process was
introduced. For digital circuits based on HTS Josephson
junctions where buried groundplanes must be fully oxidized,
plasma oxidation had profound effects on the properties of
cobalt or calcium-doped YBCO films used for N-layers in SNS
edge junctions, increasing function critical currents by a
factor of five. These experiments offer some insight into the
role of oxygen in determining both individual junction
properties and junction reproducibility. A third approach to
oxidation of buried films relies on "oxygen vias" patterned in
the insulating layer to permit oxygen to diffuse in the a-b
plane of YBCO films instead of diffusing through the
insulating layer. We designed and measured test structures
which set a practical limit of 20-30 micrometers for via
sparing. |
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Effect
of ozone anneals on YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3-x/Co/sub x/O/sub 2/
thin films J.P. Sydow and R.A.
Buhrman
Summary: We report on the effect of
200-500C ozone anneals on the resistivity versus temperature
(RT) and Raman spectra characteristics of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3-x/Co/sub x/O/sub 2/ (Co-YBCO) thin films, with x=0.3, 0.5,
0.75, and 1.0. Cold wall anneals are conducted at /spl sim/1
aim. of a flowing O/sub 2//O/sub 3/ mixture with /spl sim/2%
O/sub 3/ by weight. The enhanced partial pressure of atomic
oxygen, relative to canonical O/sub 2/ anneals, provided by
ozone to the surface of Co-YBCO films, leads to enhanced
oxygenation. This is demonstrated by the observation of an
increase in T/sub c/ (25 K to 75 K for x=0.3, 0 to 38 K for
x=0.5, and 0 to a T/sub c/(onset) of 19 K for x=0.75) and
improvement in Raman spectra data following ozone anneals.
This high degree of oxygenation is unstable under O/sub 2/
anneals at temperatures as low as 200C. We attribute this to
the fact that the partial pressure of oxygen above well
oxygenated Co-YBCO is greater than 1 atm. at /spl sim/200C. We
will discuss the implication of these results for the
stability and uniformity of SNS ramp edge Josephson junctions
which employ Co-YBCO N-layers. |
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Electrical
and materials characterization of a robust YBCO multilayer
film process for HTS circuit
applications C.L. Pettiette-Hall,
J. Murduck, J.F. Burch, M. Sergant, R. Hu, J. Cordromp and H.
Aquilino
Summary: We have developed a 2"
multilayer HTS process that contains four epitaxial layers (3
superconducting and one dielectric) and up to 4 additional
non-epitaxial layers. Employing n-factorial and Taguchi
designed experiments, we have improved crossover critical
currents by 45/spl times/ and via critical currents by 60/spl
times/. We use the DOE approach to quantitatively compare
processing factors and identify those which are electrically
significant. Transmission Electron Microscopy confirms the
morphological changes which cause the electrical response.
This article highlights the history of our multilayer process,
using both TEM and electrical results to show how process
modifications have led to a robust multilayer process for HTS
circuit applications. |
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Improved
J/sub c/ of bilayer YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta//
thin film structures J.P. Zhou,
C.E. Jones, J.T. McDevitt, Y. Gim, J.B. Goodenough, C. Kwon
and Q.X. Jia
Summary: Critical-current (J/sub
c/) measurements for YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta//
(YBCO), Gd/sub 0.6/Ca/sub 0.4/Ba/sub 1.6/La/sub 0.4/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// (TX-GBCO) and TX-GBCO/YBCO bilayers
were performed with transport measurements at different
applied magnetic fields. The film samples were prepared by
pulsed laser deposition and patterned as microbridges. The
highest J/sub c/ (1.5/spl times/10/sup 6/ A/cm/sup 2/) at 75 K
in 5 Tesla (Hllab) was observed for TX-GBCO/YBCO bilayers,
which showed a 40% increase in J/sub c/ over YBCO under the
same conditions. The bilayer samples possess a T/sub c/ at 90
K and display superconducting properties similar to YBCO. A
possible mechanisms for the high J/sub c/ of bilayer YBCO
films is discussed. Development of these bilayer and
multilayer structures represents a promising new direction to
improve the superconducting properties of YBCO since the
TX-GBCO layer provide both protection against corrosion and a
significant improvement in J/sub c/. |
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Superconductivity
in Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CuO/sub 6+/spl delta///(Sr,Ca)CuO/sub 2/
multilayers obtained by molecular beam
epitaxy M. Salvato, C. Attanasio,
G. Carbone, T. Di Luccio, S.L. Prischepa, R. Russo and L.
Maritato
Summary: Bi-based high temperature
superconducting multilayers have been obtained by Molecular
Beam Epitaxy (MBE) using a deposition method which consists of
both co-deposition and growth interruption techniques. We have
studied two kinds of structures in which a layer of Bi/sub
2/Sr/sub 2/CuO/sub 6+/spl delta// (2201) is alternately
stacked by an insulating layer of CaCuO/sub 2/ or SrCuO/sub 2/
in order to obtain 2201/CaCuO/sub 2/ or 2201/SrCuO/sub 2/
multilayers. Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction
(RHEED), used to control the quality of the interfaces and the
two-dimensional growth mode, gives evidence of an increase in
the surface roughness increasing the number of periods. The
layered structure has been confirmed comparing experimental
and simulated X-ray spectra. The R vs. T curves of the
2201/SrCuO/sub 2/ multilayers present an onset and behave
differently from those of the single phase samples with the
same stoichiometry but they are not superconducting down to
T=4.2 K. On the contrary, the 2201/CaCuO/sub 2/ samples are
superconducting with critical temperatures strongly depending
on the CaCuO/sub 2/ thickness. |
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A
multi-step process to improve texturing and transport current
in BSCCO (2223)
superconductors A. Tampieri, G.
Celotti and G. Calestani
Summary: Bulk
BSCCO(2223) was prepared by a multi-step process (high cold
pressing+pressureless sintering+hot-forging): the final
density of the samples exceeds 95% and the orientation factor
increases up to /spl ap/86%. It was found that the process
phenomenology is strictly linked to the starting powder
stoichiometry and characteristics: when composition is very
near to the theoretical (2223), effects of secondary phase
extrusion are observed during hot-forging, yielding a
purification and inhibition of (2212) formation, accompanied
by an appreciable increase of J/sub c/ with respect to
hot-pressed samples. When the Ca/Sr ratio is considerably
>1, recrystallisation of (2223) from the liquid takes
place, with a remarkable improvement of critical current
density (J/sub c/>10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/). In this case, the
non-superconducting secondary phases act as an intrinsic
oxygen reservoir. Finally, when composition diverges even more
from (2223) (Ca/Sr/spl Gt/1 and Cu excess), the formation of
too many precipitates of non-superconducting phases hinders
the texturing process and more in general deteriorates the
intergranular properties. |
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Melt
textured process for YBCO in high magnetic
fields S. Awaji, K. Watanabe, M.
Motokawa, A. Kuramochi, T. Fukase and K.
Kimura
Summary: YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/
bulk samples were synthesized by the melt textured seeding
process in high magnetic fields, using high field heat
treatment equipment installed with an 11 T cryocooled
superconducting magnet. The X-ray rocking curves of [005] and
[006] indicate that the texture in grain of the YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ matrix was improved by applying a magnetic
field of only a few tesla. Moreover, it is found that the
distribution of Y/sub 2/BaCuO/sub x/ particles was changed by
applying a magnetic field of /spl ap/10 T. The critical
current properties are remarkably influenced by applying a
magnetic field during melt growth processing. |
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A
large scale approach of bulk HTS to the electric utility
area F.N. Werfel, U.
Flogel-Delor, D. Wippich and R. Rothfeld
Summary:
On the basis of a novel industrial-like YBCO seedless
functional melt texture grain alignment process, various HTS
devices for superconducting magnetic bearings (SMB) and
high-current leads for transport and limiting purposes are
fabricated. Critical shielding currents of 30 kA/cm/sup 2/ at
77 K are utilized to construct radial-passive magnetic
bearings for 20 kg loads or to suspend and spin a O 4 cm rotor
safely to 120000 rpm. Stiffnesses between 40 to 140 N/mm are
measured. Multi-grain YBCO rods up to 20 cm length are tested
for more than 6 kA/cm/sup 2/ transport currents. The
connections to the copper braids are improved to less than 0.4
micro-ohm at 1000 Amperes and 77 K. The experiments show the
practical potential of melt textured YBCO with macroscopic
orientation of the grain structure for electric power
purposes. |
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YBCO/Ag
bulk material by melt crystalization for cryomagnetic
applications P. Schatzle, G.
Krabbes, S. Gruss and G. Fuchs
Summary: Based
on thermoanalytic investigations a melt crystallization
process was developed with reduced process temperatures and
process times to produce YBCO/Ag monoliths (d=26 mm) achieving
the homogenous distribution of small sized Ag inclusions. The
mechanical properties are improved, but the superconducting
properties at 77 K, B/sub 0/ (480 mT) and F/sub N/ (40 N) are
slightly reduced compared with YBCO monoliths without an
addition of Ag (750 mT and 65 N). The maximum trapped flux was
increased to the value B/sub 0/ 9.4 T at 26.5 K, instead of
8.4 T in the Ag-free bulk monolith. |
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Comparative
studies of irreversibility lines and critical current in heavy
ion irradiated Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl
delta// bicrystals with [001] twist grain
boundaries Qiang Li, Y.N. Tsay,
M. Suenaga, G. Wirth, G.D. Gu and N.
Koshizuka
Summary: Columnar defects, through
2.2 GeV Au-ions irradiation, were introduced into Bi/sub
2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl delta// (Bi-2212)
bicrystals with [001] twist grain boundaries. Studies of the
effect of heavy ion irradiation on the transport properties of
the bicrystals were performed by measuring the irreversibility
line and critical current within the constituent single
crystals and across the [001] twist grain boundaries before
and after irradiation. We found that the columnar defects
greatly increased the irreversible temperature determined both
within the single crystals and across the grain boundaries.
However, the enhancement on critical current by the columnar
defects measured across the grain boundaries is not
significant, while more than an order of magnitude increase in
the single crystal critical current was
observed. |
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The
influence of vortex pinning and grain boundary structure on
critical currents across grain boundaries in YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub x/ D.J. Miller, K.E.
Gray, M.B. Field and DongHo Kim
Summary: We
have used studies of single grain boundaries in YBCO thin
films and bulk bicrystals to study the influence of vortex
pinning along a grain boundary on dissipation. The critical
current density for transport across grain boundaries in thin
films is typically more than an order of magnitude larger than
that measured for transport across grain boundaries in bulk
samples. For low misorientation angles, the difference in
critical current density within the grains that form the
boundary can contribute to the substantial differences in
current density measured across the boundary. However,
substantial differences exist in the critical current density
across boundaries in thin film compared to bulk bicrystals
even in the higher angle regime in which grain boundary
dissipation dominates. The differences in critical current
density in this regime can be understood on the basis of
vortex pinning along the boundary. |
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Characterization
of the structure of Y-Ba-Cu-O coated
conductors H. Kung, S.R. Foltyn,
P.N. Arendt and M.P. Maley
Summary:
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been applied
to the microstructural investigation of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// (YBCO) thick films deposited on
polycrystalline Ni-based metal substrates by pulsed laser
deposition. The films were found to be strongly textured with
c-axis oriented grains aligned perpendicular to the
substrates. Despite the large average in-plane misorientation
(/spl theta//spl sim/14/spl deg/), as was estimated from
selected area electron diffraction and X-ray diffraction, TEM
inspection reveals colonies of submicron-sized grains with low
angle (/spl theta//spl les/7/spl deg/) tilt grain boundaries.
The linkage of the colony structures may provide a continuous
percolation pathway for the supercurrent transport in YBCO,
which may provide the mechanism for the higher than expected
critical current density J/sub c/. Periodic arrays of grain
boundary dislocations were observed, which may serve as
effective flux pinners. |
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Transport
properties of bulk-bicrystal grain boundaries in artificially
joined large-grain YBCO A.D.
Bradley, R.A. Doyle, D. Charalambous, W. Lo, D.A. Cardwell,
A.M. Campbell and P. Vanderbenden
Summary: A
technique for joining large-grain YBCO has been used to
produce bulk-bicrystal grain boundaries of different
orientations. The behaviour of boundaries nominally of 0/spl
deg/[100], 0/spl deg/[001] and asymmetric 15/spl
deg/[100]-tilt misorientation have been investigated using low
frequency transport measurements in fields up to 7 T. The
boundaries exhibit a metallic normal state and a
superconducting transition which broadens with increasing
field having an irreversibility line which closely matches
that of the adjoining grains. This same qualitative behaviour
is seen in all the samples measured for field applied parallel
and perpendicular to the c-axis and up to the highest current
densities employed (20 Acm/sup -2/). Variation between the
different samples due to microstructural differences are
discussed. We interpret these results as strong suggestive
evidence that this joining technique can be used to produce
strongly-coupled large-grains for bulk-scale engineering
applications. |
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Development
of non-weak link bulk YBCO grain boundaries for high magnetic
field engineering
applications Wai Lo, D.A.
Cardwell, A.D. Bradley, R.A. Doyle, Y.H. Shi and S.
Lloyd
Summary: A non-weak link joining
technique has been developed for YBCO pseudo-crystals
fabricated by seeded peritectic solidification based on the
formation of a liquid phase which segregates from the platelet
boundaries at temperatures above /spl ap/920/spl deg/C.
Electrical and magnetic measurements on these boundaries
suggest that their irreversibility field can be as high as 7 T
at 77 K in fully oxygenated pseudo-crystals joined along their
crystallographic ab-planes which is comparable to the
irreversibility behaviour of the adjacent YBCO
grains. |
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Microstructural
studies of high-T/sub c/ superconducting Josephson junctions
to understand junction
properties J.G. Wen, T. Usagawa,
T. Takagi, Y. Ishimaru, Y. Enoloto and N.
Koshizuka
Summary: Transmission electron
microscopy (TEM) is applied to the study of the relationship
between the microstructures and the electrical properties of
Josephson junctions. Typical microstructures for several
artificial barrier junctions and grain boundary (GB) junctions
are reviewed. In the case of artificial barrier junctions, it
was found that the barrier layer coverage can be enhanced by
using a-axis oriented bottom electrodes and homoepitaxy
growth. TEM observations of multi-layer junctions with
PrBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/ (PrBCO) or YBa/sub 2/Fe/sub
3/O/sub y/ (YBFeO) barrier layers grown by quasi-homoepitaxy
showed prefect coverage and good crystallinity. Liquid
phase-epitaxy was successfully used to obtain large single
facet GBs over 50 pin by growing YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/
(YBCO) films on bicrystal substrates. Microstructures and
atomic arrangements of these straight bicrystal GBs are
presented. |
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Change
of the HTSC harmonic susceptibility properties with
electrolytic hydrogen loading using different aqueous solution
as LiOH and NaOH P. Tripodi, D.
Di Gioacchino, F. Celani, A. Spallone and D.
Vinko
Summary: The higher harmonics magnetic
susceptibilities (/spl chi/=/spl chi//sub i/'+i/spl chi//sub
i/'') of HTSC hydrogen loaded as function of the temperature
at 6 G of ac magnetic field amplitude at 107 Hz of frequency
have been measured. The samples have been loaded by
electrolysis in an aqueous solution using /spl mu/s current
pulses at room temperature. The HTSC electrodes have been
polarized by short pulse width (1 /spl mu/s) and high peak
current (/spl ges/4 A) with a low duty-cycle (10/sup -3/) and
a variable repetition rate (1-5 kHz). The hydrogen influence
on HTSC (T/sub c/, ac losses) has been measured and the
increasing of the superconducting properties, particularly
T/sub c/ and J/sub c/, have been found. These effects appear
strongly dependent to the loading process and to the
stoichiometric ratio H/YBCO. It has been demonstrated that the
electrolyte (Li, Na) does not affect the YBCO superconducting
properties. |
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High
pressure oxygenation in melt textured NdBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7/: identification of pinning
mechanisms T. Puiog, X. Obradors,
B. Martinez, F. Sandiumenge, V. Gomis and J.A.
Alonso
Summary: A competing effect inducing
both an enhancement of interface pinning and aging of the
critical currents has been established in NdBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-/spl delta///Nd/sub 4/Ba/sub 2/Cu/sub 2/O/sub 10/
(Nd123/422) melt-textured ceramic composites upon high oxygen
pressure annealing. It is suggested that Nd123/422 interfaces
are enriched in antisite defects, which are properly
oxygenated only upon high PO/sub 2/ annealing. Additional
evidence for the enhanced oxygenation is gained from the
observation of a consequent decrease of the field induced
anomaly at intermediate fields. |
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Small
cyclic fatigue and properties of melt-processed
YBCO I.A. Parinov and E.V.
Rozhkov
Summary: The fatigue fracture of
melt-processed YBCO is considered based on the earlier
developed computational approach. The occurrence of
microstructures is modeled using heat treatment and Monte
Carlo simulations. The results are applied to the
investigation of microstructural dissimilitude in the problem
of small cyclic loading. Some effective properties of modelled
structures are estimated. |
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The
effect of platinum and excess 211 phase on the loss of the
liquid phase in melt textured YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub
7-x/ W.C. Hicks, F. Dogan, M.
Strasik, A.C. Day and K.E. McCrary
Summary:
Platinum is an important additive in YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-x/ [123] powders for melt processing and growth of
large oriented crystals, but its role in liquid loss during
the growth cycle is poorly understood. A series of experiments
were conducted to determine how platinum effects liquid loss,
and to study the solubility limit of platinum in 123. Both
atomically mixed and solid state platinum sources were
compared. Crystals were grown on a nonreactive setter so that
liquid loss could be clearly distinguished by weight from
reaction products with the setter. Based on weight loss
studies there was little difference between atomically added
platinum and by adding platinum powder to the 123 powder. In
samples with no excess Y/sub 2/BaCuO/sub 5/ (211), weight loss
due to liquid loss was at a minimum of 3.8 percent with 0.3
weight percent platinum content. Examination with an electron
microprobe reveals different microstructures for the two
different methods of platinum additions. |
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Effect
of Ag addition on the mechanical properties of bulk
superconductors T. Miyamoto, J.
Katagiri, K. Nagashima and M. Murakami
Summary:
Bulk superconductors can function as quasi-permanents
with generating magnetic fields much higher than those of
conventional permanent magnets. However, a large
electromagnetic force acts on such bulk superconductors, which
sometimes leads to fracture. It is known that Ag addition is
effective in improving the fracture toughness of bulk
Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductors. Therefore, in this paper, we have
studied the effects of Ag addition both on trapped field
capability and mechanical properties of bulk RE-Ba-Cu-O (RE:
Y, Sm) and have found that Ag addition is indeed effective in
improving the mechanical properties of a large single-grain
RE-Ba-Cu-O. |
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High
trapped fields in melt-textured YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub
7-/spl delta// S. Gruss, G.
Fuchs, G. Krabbes, P. Schatzle, J. Fink, K.H. Muller and L.
Schultz
Summary: Bulk melt textured YBCO
material with single-domain grains up to 35 mm in diameter was
prepared by a modified melt-texture process. The maximum
trapped field B/sub o/ measured in the 1 mm gap between two
single-grain disks was found to increase from 1.2 T at 75 K up
to 9.6 T at 46 K, which is the highest trapped field achieved
in nonirradiated samples. A strong exponential decrease of the
trapped field with increasing temperature found in most of the
cases can be explained by flux creep within the framework of
collective pinning assuming weak pinning. A weaker B/sub o/(T)
dependence and higher B/sub o/ values at temperatures between
55 and 75 K were observed in newly processed YBCO material. A
pronounced peak effect found in the field dependence of the
critical current density suggests strong pinning in this
material. For applications of YBCO samples in superconducting
magnetic bearings, an effective method for magnetizing the
superconductor is required. Results of magnetizing YBCO
samples by applying pulsed magnetic fields are
presented. |
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Mechanical
properties of TSMG-YBCO A.
Leenders, M. Ullrich and H.C. Freyhardt
Summary:
The fracture toughness, K/sub c/, of YBCO prepared by
the top-seeded-melt-growth (TSMG) method can be improved by
increasing the yttrium content. K/sub c/ increases from 1.01
MPa/spl radic/m for samples with 30 mol % Y/sub 2/Ba/sub
1/Cu/sub 1/O/sub 5/ (Y-211) addition to a value of 1.44(22)
MPa/spl radic/m for samples with 60 mol % Y-211 addition.
Substituting CeO/sub 2/ for PtO/sub 2/ results in a further
enhancement of K/sub c/. In both cases the improvement can be
explained by a refinement and homogenization of the
distribution of Y-211 particles. The incorporation of ductile
particles also contributes to an enhanced fracture toughness
of the melt-textured monoliths. |
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Development
of YBCO levitators for simple
applications V.
Plechacek
Summary: Levitation and suspension
of a superconductor above and under a rare earth magnet is one
of the promising applications of high temperature
superconductors, e.g. in frictionless self-stabilized magnetic
bearings. This paper describes a development of the seeded
melt growth (SMC) method for Y-Ba-Cu-O (YBCO) levitators with
regard to simplicity and to the limitation of the usually long
preparation period. Attention was paid to a correct selection
of the precursor powder as well as to the SMG process
parameters and above all with respect to the resulting
levitation force. Typical and highest levitation forces of
about 16 N and 24 N, respectively, between the 21 mm diameter
YBCO levitators and the neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnet
at 77 K were obtained. In addition, a simple application of
YBCO levitators, the superconducting magnetic top, is
presented for demonstration. |
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Annealing
and mechanical properties of bulk
Y-Ba-Cu-O K.C. Goretta, P. Diko,
Ming Jiang, M.M. Cuber, Ming Xu, J.E. Ostenson and S.
Sengupta
Summary: Melt-processed YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x//Y/sub 2/BaCuO/sub 5/ and conventional
polycrystalline sintered YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x/ pellets
were prepared. Elastic modulus, hardness, and fracture
strength were measured on selected sections cut from the
pellets. Strength in the melt-processed pellets ranged from 32
to 94 MPa and was highest in the center. Variations in
strength were related to microstructural features, especially
Y/sub 2/BaCuO/sub 5/ distribution. To improve strength, we
attempted to minimize microcracking by manipulating cooling
rates and annealing times. We found that control of annealing
reduced microcracking of the polycrystalline sintered pellets,
but had little effect on the single-domain melt-processed
pellets. |
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Spatial
distribution of structural and superconducting properties in
high processing rate melt textured
YBCO A. Vecchione, M. Gombos, S.
Pace and M. Polichetti
Summary: In this work,
we report on directionally solidified YBCO bars fabricated by
the horizontal Bridgman technique based on sample transport in
a thermal gradient. We employ a pulling rate in the furnace
three orders of magnitude higher than the value of 0.5 mm/h
generally used to maximize the critical current densities. We
cut the produced sample in several slices perpendicularly to
the pulling direction with the purpose of analysing the
spatial distribution of superconducting, morphological and
structural properties as a function of their position along
the pulling direction. X-ray diffraction and SEM analyses show
that partial texturing occurs even at very high pulling rates.
Each slice has an onset of the critical temperature at /spl
sim/90 K Moreover, the critical current densities at 77 K and
at 1 Tesla are estimated from dc magnetisation curves in
hundreds of A/cm/sup 2/. |
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Rejoining
of single grain melt textured bulk YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub
7-x/ S.J. Manton, C. Beduz and
Yifeng Yang
Summary: The possibility of
joining single grains of RE123 materials considerably enhances
the applicability of bulk materials with respect to large
scale applications. High quality superconducting joints
produced via an infiltration method have been fabricated and
studied. Using a wafering diamond saw, individual 200 /spl
mu/m wide slots were cut into single grains of melt textured
Y123 and the gaps were then filled with a mixture of Y/sub
2/O/sub 3/ and BaCO powders. A pressed pellet consisting of
mixed Er123, Ba-CuO and CuO powders is then placed over the
slots. The two regions were then rejoined by allowing molten
phases to be absorbed into the powder. This process takes
place at a temperature below the peritectic of Y123 and thus
the crystal structure of the original bulk remains relatively
unchanged. The newly formed Er/Y123 material displays the same
orientation as the original grain. Also we have shown that in
general the Y211 inclusions are smaller in the rejoined region
than in the surrounding bulk. Microstructural and
compositional data are presented and discussed. |
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Control
of growth rate and texture formation of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-y/ single-domain crystal by applying two-step
undercooling in TSMG Y.A. Jee,
Gye-Won Hong, Chan-Joong Kim and Tae-Hyun
Sung
Summary: A fabrication technique for a
single-domain Y123 crystal by top-seeded melt processing was
developed using two step undercooling. At the first
undercooling step, the Y123 nucleus was stabilized, and
increased growth rate was intended at the second undercooling
step. By the two step undercooling method, the processing time
required for the growth of Y123 single-domain crystal was
significantly reduced without degradation of the
superconducting properties. The microstructures and textures
of Y123 samples prepared by two step undercooling were also
investigated. |
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Dissolution
and resolidification of SmBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-y/ seed
during top seeded melt texturing of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub
7-y/ Y.A. Jee, Gye-Won Hong,
Chan-Joong Kim and Tae-Hyun Sung
Summary:
During top-seeded melt growth of a YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-y/ (Y123) single-domain crystal, seed dissolution
occurred while the seed was in contact with Ba-Cu-O liquid,
and then the dissolved parts were resolidified during cooling.
The growth mode of the Y123 crystal was directly affected by
the resolidification process of the dissolved part. When the
melted part of the seed was resolidified to a polycrystal,
Y123 grew also as a polycrystalline form. In contrast, when
the dissolved part of the seed completely recovered its mother
orientation during cooling, a single-domain Y123 crystal could
be obtained. The dissolution behavior of the SmBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-y/ (Sm123) seed is explained in terms of the
solubility of samarium in Ba-Cu-O liquid. The resolidification
mode of the melted part is discussed in terms of the Sm
content within the interdiffusion layer of Sm and
Y. |
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Critical
current density of filamentary Nd123 superconductor by
solution spinning method T.
Kimura, T. Goto and K. Watanabe
Summary: We
have studied the fabrication of filamentary Nd123
superconductor with high superconducting properties. The
filamentary Nd123 precursor was prepared by the solution
spinning method, through a homogeneous aqueous solution
containing mixed acetates of Nd, Be, Cu, poly (vinyl alcohol)
and organic acids. The filamentary sample was partially melted
at 990/spl deg/C in flowing 0.1%O/sub 2/+Ar and oxygenated
under various conditions. The transport critical current
density (J/sub c/) for the samples was examined in magnetic
fields up to 9.5 T at 77 K. The highest J/sub c/ value of
3.5/spl times/10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K and 0 T and more
than 10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K and at 2 T was achieved for
the filamentary Nd/sub 1.18/Ba/sub 2.12/Cu/sub 3.09/O/sub x/
superconductor by controlling the oxygenation
conditions. |
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Thermal
cycling of thick-film and thin-film electrical contacts on
melt-processed YBCO M.W. Hosking,
J. Byrne, S.R. Ashton, A. Pijanowski and B.A.
Tonkin
Summary: Results are presented from
thermal cycling experiments of electrical contacts, carried
out to investigate possible failure mechanisms. The contacts
were of thick-film silver and thin-film gold on thick-film
yttrium barium copper oxide, the latter having been previously
fired onto yttria-stabilised zirconia substrates. Continuous
observation was made of a dc current passing through the
samples, via thin copper wires and the cycling itself was a
series of thermal shocks, produced by immersion of the samples
in liquid nitrogen, followed by rapid warm-up over a
temperature increment of 100 K. It was found that the method
of attachment of the copper wires had the greatest effect on
the reliability of the deposited contacts. |
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Preparation
of unleaded BSCCO superconductor with critical temperatures of
110 K N.A. Pryrkova and Z.M.
Tomilo
Summary: The results of the unleaded
synthesis, and superconducting properties, and phase
composition investigation of high-T/sub c/ superconductors
obtained in the BiSrCaCuO (BSCCO system), when partially
substituting copper oxide for copper are presented.
Synthesized under special conditions, samples of
BiSrCa((1-x)CuO+xCu))/sub 2/Oy with x=(0.2-0.3) revealed T/sub
c/(R=0)=(102-107)K and consisted of the single superconducting
phase Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub y/. The other
impurity phases were not superconductors. |
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Compatibility
of Nd and Ba in YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/
superconductor W.H. Tang and J.
Gao
Summary: A series of samples with nominal
compositions of YBa/sub 2-x/Nd/sub x/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/ were
prepared by solid state reactions and investigated by X-ray
diffraction, magnetic and electrical measurements. The
solubility, x, was determined to be x<0.25. It is found
that the solubility of rare earth Re ions at the Ba-sites in
Re/sub 1+x/Ba/sub 2-x/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/ is strongly related to
a geometric parameter, the tolerance factor t. For x<0.25,
T/sub c0/ are all above 92 K. For x>0.3 T/sub c0/ drops
sharply to about 84 K, and finally for x=0.5 T/sub c//sup on/
falls to 30 K and T/sub c0/ is below 10 K. Our results suggest
that the small compatibility of Nd and Ba in YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub y/ system does not seriously suppress the
superconductivity. |
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Coupled-grain/RSJ
series array for modeling of nonlinear microwave surface
impedance of YBCO thin films J.S.
Herd, D.E. Oates, Hao Xin and S.J.
Berkowitz
Summary: The nonlinear microwave
impedance of YBCO thin films may be due to
Josephson-junction-like defects. In this work, high-T/sub c/
thin films are modeled as a series of ideal superconducting
grains coupled by resistively shunted Josephson junctions that
simulate the defects. The model calculates the surface
resistance and reactance as a function of microwave current.
Comparisons with experimental results from YBCO thin-film
stripline resonators show good quantitative agreement for
resistance at frequencies in the range 1-6 GHz and at several
temperatures. Long junction effects are proposed to explain
deviations between measured and computed results above 6 GHz.
We have also modeled a phase-shifting device consisting of 300
high-T/sub c/ Josephson junctions in series along a microstrip
transmission line. Computed results are in good quantitative
agreement with the measured device phase shift versus
microwave input power. Similarities in the power dependencies
of the series array of junctions and the patterned film
resonators are discussed. |
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Non-linear
microwave surface impedance of epitaxial HTS thin films in low
DC magnetic fields A.P. Kharel,
K.H. Soon, J.R. Powell, A. Porch, M.J. Lancaster, A.V.
Velichko and R.G. Humphreys
Summary: We have
carried out non-linear microwave (8 GHz) surface impedance
measurements of three YBaCuO thin films in dc magnetic fields
H/sub dc/ (parallel to c axis) up to 12 mT using a coplanar
resonator technique. In zero dc field the three films,
deposited by the same method, show a spread of low-power
residual surface resistance, R/sub res/ and penetration depth,
/spl lambda/(T=15 K) within a factor of 1.9. However, they
exhibit dramatically different microwave field, H/sub rf/
dependences of the surface resistance, R/sub s/, but universal
X/sub s/(H/sub rf/) dependence. Application of a dc field was
found to affect not only absolute values of R/sub s/ and X/sub
s/, but the functional dependences R/sub s/(H/sub rf/) and
X/sub s/(H/sub rf/) as well. For some of the samples the dc
field was found to decrease R/sub s/ below its zero-field
low-power value. |
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A
technique for high-power microwave diagnostics of large-area
homogeneous HTS films A.N.
Reznik, A.K. Vorobiev, S.A. Pavlov, A.E. Parafin, V.A. Isaev
and K.P. Gaikovich
Summary: A new technique
and measuring equipment for determination of the dependence of
HTS surface resistance on a microwave magnetic field
amplitude, R/sub s/(H), were developed. The measuring system
was an open 36 GHz resonator formed between a spherical metal
surface and a flat HTS film. The microwave scheme included a
high-power pumping wave circuit and a spectrally separated
low-power diagnostic signal circuit. The H structure
inhomogeneity on the HTS surface was taken into account.
Measurements of the averaged surface resistance have shown it to be related with R/sub s/(H) by the
integral equation. The technique for solution of the integral
equation based on the Tikhonov method extended from the theory
of incorrect inverse problems was applied. Some results of
R/sub s/(H) measurements for large-area (>35 mm) YBCO films
deposited onto NdGaO/sub 3/, LaAlO/sub 3/ substrates are
presented and discussed. |
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Evaluation
of microwave complex conductivities of YBCO thin films by
weakly coupled grain model K.
Yoshida, S. Nishioka, H. Morita, Y. Kanda, H. Shimakage and Z.
Wang
Summary: A self consistent method for
evaluating the complex conductivities of high Tc
superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O(YBCO) thin films has been studied
using the coplanar waveguide resonator technique. In order to
evaluate the magnetic penetration depth precisely, we measured
the temperature dependence of the resonant frequency and
compared it with the numerical results self consistently. In
the present experiments the observed temperature dependence of
the complex conductivities is shown to be able to distinguish
the effects of the weaklink from the intrinsic property of the
grain of an epitaxial thin film and demonstrate the weakly
coupled grain model of YBCO thin films. |
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Modelling
the nonlinear high-frequency response of a short Josephson
junction under two-frequency
irradiation A.V. Velichko and A.
Porch
Summary: The nonlinear response of a
short Josephson Junction (JJ), being irradiated simultaneously
with two high-frequency signals, has been studied in the
framework of the nonlinear Resistively-Shunted Junction (RSJ)
Model. One of the signals, hereafter referred to as "probe
signal", has a small amplitude I/sub pr/ |
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Fields
and losses in high T/sub c/
conductors A.M.
Campbell
Summary: The hysteresis losses in
simple shapes and wires are reasonably well understood.
Transport losses in tapes follow the Norris equation well.
However it is not clear how cables should be treated since
agreement with both a cylindrical model and an isolated tape
model have been reported. Coupling losses depend on whether
the tapes are insulated. If the layers are in contact current
distributes itself over a few centimetres length to minimise
the central field. For currents close to I/sub c/ the
resistance must be taken into account. Changes in spacing
between layers lead to significant redistribution, and losses
due to the field from other phases could be large. A
continuous change of pitch allows current to penetrate to the
centre without cutting filaments. |
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Angular
dependence of AC losses at power frequencies for a stack of
Bi2223/Ag tapes T. Chiba, Q. Li,
S.P. Ashworth, M. Suenaga and P. Haldar
Summary:
AC losses for a stack of Bi2223/Ag mere determined as a
function of the angle between the applied AC magnetic field
and the tape face. The results were compared with the AC
losses calculated using the Bean critical-state model.
Although general qualitative behavior of the calculated as a
function of the angle was in accord with measured values, the
model failed significantly quantitative predictions of the
losses. |
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The
analysis of current distributions in filamentary conductors:
the influence of
intergrowths A.V. Volkozub, J.
Everett, G. Perkins, P. Buscemi, A.D. Caplin, M. Dhalle, F.
Marti, G. Grasso, Y.B. Huang and R.
Flukiger
Summary: Filament isolation is an
extremely important factor in multi-filament conductors.
However, filament-bridging superconducting intergrowths have
often been observed. We show from magnetisation, transport and
Hall probe experiments on a range of BSCCO-2223 conductors
that the effects of filament bridging are substantial. We
infer that the critical current densities within the
intergrowths, and also across their grain boundaries, are
extremely high. |
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Filament
bridging and critical current density variation in the
cross-section of multifilamentary Bi-2223/Ag
tapes M. Polak, M. Majoros, A.
Kasztler and H. Kirchmayr
Summary: We
calculated magnetic fields in the vicinity of model
multifilamentary Bi-2223/Ag tapes carrying magnetisation
currents with a constant critical current density. The
profiles of the perpendicular component of the magnetic field,
B/sub mz/, in the lateral direction for the model tape without
superconducting interconnections (bridging) and those for the
model tape with filament bridging are very different.
Experimental results on real tapes qualitatively agree with
the calculations. Direct measurements of the filament critical
current distribution in 2 of 3 measured tapes showed that the
filament critical current, J/sub fc/, was the highest in the
tape centre. |
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Novel
resistive interfilamentary carbonate barriers in
multifilamentary low AC loss
Bi(2223)-tapes W. Goldacker, M.
Quilitz, B. Obst and H. Eckelmann
Summary:
Reducing the coupling losses, one component of the AC
losses in BSCCO tapes, a novel idea for a conductor geometry
was developed introducing resistive layers of strontium
carbonate in the matrix. Two different preparation methods
were applied to introduce the layers in the interfilamentary
section, a dip coating technique and a double tube method.
Additionally a new ring bundle technique for multifilamentary
Bi(2223)-tapes was developed based on a tape composite
structure similar to a Rutherford cable with the possibility
of realizing practically fully transposed filaments and with a
central resistive strontium carbonate core. The achieved
current densities of 10 kAcm/sup -2/ with a twist pitch of 10
mm qualifies this new conductor as a very promising
alternative concept. We report on the preparation method and
the superconducting properties of those tapes. |
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The
effect of self-field on current capacity in Bi-2223 composite
strands S. Spreafico, L.
Gherardi, S. Fleshier, D. Tatelbaum, J. Leone, D. Yu and G.
Snitchler
Summary: We have investigated the
effect of aspect ratio and current on the self-field critical
current of Ag-sheathed Bi-2223 composite tapes. We have
fabricated assemblies of monofilament tapes with different
aspect ratio and current capacity. In such a manner, we could
study the effect of the composite geometry on the self-field
suppression of the critical current while maintaining the
quality of the superconducting filaments constant. We find
that a large aspect ratio is favorable for achieving higher
self-field critical currents which is consistent with a
reduction of the self-field. We have also used a modified
configuration of several tapes with opposing currents to
reduce the perpendicular component of the self field. As a
consequence, we have observed large enhancements of the
critical current at zero applied magnetic field, and have also
been able to reveal the magnetic field dependence of the
critical current at low magnitudes of the external field where
the self-field usually dominates the externally applied field.
We have studied these effects in several tapes with different
levels of current capacity. |
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Fabrication
of twisted multifilamentary BSCCO 2223 tapes by using high
resistive sheath for AC
application Jaimoo Yoo, Jaewoong
Ko, Haidoo Kim and Hyungsik Chung
Summary:
For the application of high Tc superconductor to
electric power systems, it is essential to reduce AC losses of
BSCCO 2223 tapes. Different twist pitches of multifilamentary
BSCCO 2223 tapes using high resistivity sheath were fabricated
to investigate the effect of twist pitches on the
microstructure and critical current property, as well as to
study the possible use of these conductors for AC application.
The J/sub cr/ values of 10 mm and 5 mm twisted tapes drop
faster than that of untwisted and 20 mm twisted tapes under
increasing magnetic field, especially in low field regime
(0/spl sim/0.03 T). It suggests that weak links in the former
are more serious than in the latter, which is in accordance
with the microstructure analysis. |
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Sensor-based
MOCVD for the growth of low surface resistance YBCO on MgO
enabling Q's in excess of
100000 J. Musolf and E.J.
Smith
Summary: Today MOCVD, due to its
inherent advantages such as scaleability and throughput, is
the growth technique of choice for many compound
semiconductors as a production method. However, the use of
MOCVD to deposit high quality HTS material has been impeded by
the lack of stable precursors. To overcome the problems of
limited process reproducibility caused by these shortcomings,
real time control of the gas phase composition by ultraviolet
absorption sensors has been utilized. This technique allows
for a very tight control of the composition of the deposited
material. A surface resistance R/sub s/ lower than 250 /spl
mu//spl Omega/ (77 K, scaled to 10 GHz) could be measured on
700 nm thick MOCVD YBCO films. This value correlates very well
with the surface resistance extracted from measurements of the
quality factor Q/sub 0/ of a simple microstrip resonator used
as a process control monitor. Consistent surface resistance
values below 350 /spl mu//spl Omega/ prove the reproducibility
of the sensor based MOCVD approach. For cellular
telecommunication devices at 845 MHz quality factors Q/sub 0/
in excess of 100,000 at 77 K are indicative of the excellent
material quality. |
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Microstructure
and microwave surface resistance of YBaCuO thin
films G. Kastner, C. Schafer, S.
Senz, D. Hesse, M. Lorenz, H. Hochmuth, M. Getta, M.A. Hein,
T. Kaiser and G. Muller
Summary: Epitaxial
YBaCuO thin films on 73 mm diam. sapphire and 50 mm LaAlO/sub
3/ wafers prepared for microwave applications were
characterized by optical and electron microscopy as well as by
X-ray diffraction in order to guide optimizing the film
properties. The surface resistance R/sub s/, measured at 8.5,
19 or 145 GHz, partially as a function of microwave field
amplitude B/sub s/, was taken as the key parameter. Typical
results scaled quadratically in frequency to 0.25-0.75 m/spl
Omega/ at 10 GHz, 77 K, and low field levels. In case of
sapphire substrates, a challenge for applications is
microcracking of the films. However, cracks are less
deleterious if "dispersed" by other heterogeneities such as
a-oriented grains. Narrow microcracks should allow for tunnel
currents and flux pinning. In case of LaAlO/sub 3/, films
sensitive to high microwave power exhibited some in-plane
rotational misorientation and a-oriented grains as well as
inhomogeneous layering of these grains and of additional Cu-O
planes within the film thickness, with possible influence on
R/sub s/. |
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Microstructure
and RF property correlation in HTS
films P.A. Smith, M.A. Bakar, A.
Porch and T.W. Button
Summary: In this paper
we report on the assessment of a range of HTS thick and thin
films using a small dielectric resonator, operating near 10
GHz, capable of measuring film areas approximately 3 mm in
diameter. This is achieved with the utilisation of high
permittivity rutile dielectric resonators operating in the
TE/sub 01/spl delta// mode which have a permittivity of
approximately 105 at 77 K. Some HTS thick films have
well-defined grains which are larger than the measurement
area, and thus the influence of grain boundaries and other
microstructural features on the RF properties of the films can
be quantified directly. The dielectric loss of the rutile at 8
GHz was measured and the housing losses due to the normal
copper enclosure were calculated by Superfish, a finite
difference programme for the solution of modes with
cylindrical symmetry. |
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Measurement
of the absolute penetration depth and surface resistance of
superconductors using the variable spacing parallel plate
resonator V.V. Talanov, L.V.
Mercaldo and S.M. Anlage
Summary: We have
developed a modified Parallel Plate Transmission Line
Resonator with a smoothly variable thickness of the dielectric
spacer filled by liquid nitrogen. A cryogenic linear stage is
made to vary the spacer from 200 /spl mu/m down to contact
with 0.1 /spl mu/m resolution. Estimates of the absolute
penetration depth and the surface resistance are based on the
analysis of the spacer thickness dependencies of the resonator
frequency and Q-factor. The measurements are performed at
fixed temperature (77 K), so the result does not depend on an
a priori model for the temperature dependence of the
penetration depth. The ability of this technique to be
employed as a standard for characterization of HTS films for
microwave applications is pointed out. |
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Surface
resistance of Bi-2212 films fabricated by multitarget
sputtering J. Otsuka, K.
Ohbayashi, Y. Sugihara, T. Senzaki, M. Yoshida, M. Inoue, A.
Fujimaki and H. Hayakawa
Summary: We
investigated the surface resistance of Bi-2212 films
fabricated by the multitarget sputtering method. The surface
resistance was not dependent on the product of the grain size
and the critical current density, although many high
temperature superconductors such as Y-Ba-Cu-O agree with such
a weak-link model. Therefore, it is possible that the
conduction losses are relatively low at grain boundaries in
Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O. On the other hand, it was found that the
intergrowth of Bi-2212 with Bi-2201 or Bi-2223 influenced the
surface resistance badly. This is very interesting, although
it has never been clarified as to why the surface resistance
is dependent on the intergrowth. Further study will be
required in order to interpret the behavior of the surface
resistance of BSCCO. |
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Observation
of vortex movement in oxide superconductors by means of the
Bitter pattern technique S.
Ohshima, A. Kamimura and M. Kusunoki
Summary:
The high-resolution Bitter pattern technique has been
used to observe vortex movement of oxide superconductors,
Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 2/ (Bi2212). The Bitter
pattern was observed in field-cooled (FC) and zero-field
cooled (ZFC) experiments. We also examined vortex movement of
the Bi2212 single crystal in which transport current was
applied parallel to the c plane, and a dc magnetic field
applied normal to the c plane at the Ni decoration. The Ni
decoration pattern was observed using a scanning electron
microscope (SEM) and an atomic force microscope (AFM). Through
observation of the Ni decoration pattern, we can identify
vortex movement. The vortices moved into the sample on FC
experiment, and the direction of vortex movement was
approximately normal to the edge of the sample. We also found
the vortex movement in a line under application of transport
currents. They moved hopping among pinning centers due to
Lorentz force. |
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Flux
flow of La-Sr-Cu-O single
crystals T. Tachiki, K. Nakajima,
T. Yamashita, I. Tanaka and H. Kojima
Summary:
We measured voltages across micro-bridges fabricated
along the c-axis of La/sub 2-x/Sr/sub x/CuO/sub 4/ single
crystals under an external magnetic field. A sharp voltage
peak appears when the magnetic field was aligned to the ab
plane within a few degrees. The vortex velocity estimated from
the maximum voltage is much lower than the velocity that was
measured in Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub x/ single
crystals. If many weak point-like pinning centers are assumed
to be in the sample, the angular dependence of the voltage is
explained by the collective flux creep model. |
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Influence
of demagnetizing effects in superconducting
cylinders A. Sanchez and C.
Navau
Summary: We present a model that allows
one to calculate magnetization curves for superconducting
cylinders with an arbitrary aspect ratio. The model is based
on magnetic energy minimization and can be applied to
superconducting cylinders in any axially symmetric applied
magnetic field. The dependence of current and field profiles
and magnetization curves upon the sample aspect ratio is
studied. Results are in agreement with the existing theories
for the two limiting cases that can be calculated
analytically: infinitely long cylinders and thin
disks. |
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Flux
creep and irreversibility line in superconducting Pb-Bi
alloys A. Matsuda, T. Muranaka,
T. Akune and N. Sakamoto
Summary: The
critical current density, J/sub c/, in high-temperature
superconductors becomes zero at irreversibility field, B/sub
irr/, appreciably lower than the upper critical fields, B/sub
c2/. The enhancement of J/sub c/ and B/sub irr/ is one of the
crucial subjects to be attained. In high-temperature
superconductors, conclusive result has not yet been presented
because of the complexity of the material structure and in
low-temperature superconductors scientific interest has not
been paid because of the vanishingly small deviation of B/sub
irr/ from B/sub c2/. In this study, we'll apply a simple
system of low-temperature superconductor Pb-Bi, whose pinning
characteristics were fully examined and controllable, to
understand the relation of B/sub irr/ and the pinning
mechanism. Observed irreversibility field, B/sub irr/, is
discussed using the pinning characteristics and numerical
calculation based on the flux creep theory. Magnetic
relaxation caused by the flux creep was also observed by SQUID
magnetometer. The relation of the apparent pinning potentials,
U*/sub 0/, estimated from the flux creep rate and the
irreversibility field, B/sub irr/, are studied. |
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Anisotropic
transport property in Type-II superconductors with planar
pinning centers and anisotropic viscosity of vortex
motion Y.
Mawatari
Summary: We investigate anisotropic
resistivity due to planar pinning centers and to anisotropic
viscosity of vortex motion, taking account of Hall effects.
Because of the anisotropy of pinning and viscosity, both
longitudinal resistivity /spl rho//sub /spl par// (induced
parallel to a transport current J) and transverse resistivity
/spl rho//sub /spl perp// (perpendicular to J) depend on an
angle /spl theta/ between the direction of J and the pinning
planes. The /spl theta/ dependence of the resistivities is
affected by the anisotropy of viscosity, pinning strength, and
Hall effects. It is found that /spl rho//sub /spl par// and
/spl rho//sub /spl perp// can be enhanced by the pinning
effects. |
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Nonlinear
flux diffusion in superimposed weak AC magnetic
field A.L. Kasatkin, V.V.
Vysotskii, V.M. Pan and H.C. Freyhardt
Summary:
The influence of superimposed weak ac magnetic field on
flux creep and relaxation phenomena is studied theoretically
for a superconducting slab in superimposed dc and weak ac
magnetic fields parallel to the slab surface. Nonlinear flux
diffusion equations are solved with appropriate periodical
boundary conditions, which describe the influence of the ac
field component. The flux creep rate and magnetization decay
are enhanced by the ac field as a result of rather strong
nonlinearity of flux diffusion. The long-time relaxation
profiles of electric field and shielding current change
significantly as compared to the well-known stationary
solutions in the absence of ac field. These results reflect
rather general properties of nonlinear systems, namely the
possibility of the large effect of small perturbations on the
long-time behavior of a nonlinear system. |
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Flux
pinning mechanism for Nd-Ba-Cu-O
superconductor H. Wu and S.S.
Wang
Summary: Unlike YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub
7-/spl delta// (Y123) which is a line compound for the
cations, the Nd-Ba-Cu-O superconductor forms a solid solution
Nd/sub 1+x/Ba/sub 2-x/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// (Nd123ss)
between Nd and Ba. The presence of such a solid solution tends
to cause a depression of the superconducting transition
temperature (T/sub c/) and a broad transition. Processing in a
low oxygen partial pressure (Po/sub 2/) can produce a high
T/sub c/ and enhanced critical current density (J/sub c/).
However, there are controversies on flux pinning mechanisms
for this material, In this paper, we investigated the upper
solubility limit of Nd123ss in industrial argon and critically
reviewed these flux pinning mechanisms on the basis of a phase
transformation theory. We believe that precipitation mechanism
based on the change of the solubility limits of Nd123ss with
Po/sub 2/ offers a consistent explanation to the enhanced flux
pinning in the system. This may provide guidelines for further
improvement in superconducting properties of bulk 123
materials. |
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Influence
of microcracks and anisotropic conductivity on critical
current and exponent n in silver-sheathed HTS
tapes J. Paasi and A.
Korpela
Summary: The influence of filament
non-uniformities (microcracks) and anisotropic conductivity on
critical current and exponent n of the current-voltage
characteristic of HTS/Ag tape conductors was studied
numerically by the means of the finite element method.
According to the results, non-uniformities reduce the critical
current of the conductor, the reduction by a crack being
higher in the cases of anisotropic than isotropic
conductivity, but their influence on exponent n is negligible.
The result suggests that the low n-values of HTS/Ag conductors
are due to intrinsic effects such as thermally activated flux
creep. |
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Very
high trapped field in melt-processed
Sm-Ba-Cu-O H. Ikuta, A. Mase, U.
Mizutani, Y. Yanagi, M. Yoshikawa, Y. Itoh and T.
Oka
Summary: We prepared c-axis oriented
Sm-Ba-Cu-O bulk-superconductors by the melt-process technique
in a reduced oxygen atmosphere. We particularly studied the
effect of Ag addition to the composite in the present work,
because Ag was found to greatly suppress the formation of
macro-sized cracks in our earlier works. The samples were
evaluated by measuring the residual magnetic flux density
after field-cooling the samples. The trapped-field
distributions mapped at 77 K show that samples with 10 or more
wt.% Ag/sub 2/O consist of a single domain with no severe
weak-links. The trapped magnetic flux density at the open
surface of a sample with 20 wt.% Ag/sub 2/O and 30 mm in
diameter was 8.0 T at 40 K. It was also found that the
addition of Ag affects the microstructure of the sample and
the distribution of the Sm/sub 2/BaCuO/sub 5/ phase was more
homogeneous in samples with larger amount of Ag. |
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Numerical
study of the frequency and temperature dependence of the ac
magnetic susceptibility in presence of a static magnetic field
in HTS D. Di Gioacchino, P.
Tripodi, F. Celani, A.M. Testa and S. Pace
Summary:
The temperature dependence of the harmonics (/spl
chi//sub n/) of the ac magnetic susceptibility in HTS have
been investigated by numerical solutions of the non linear
diffusion equation for the magnetic flux. Within the framework
of the collective pinning model, we show that the transition
between different regimes for the flux dynamics (taff, creep,
flow) is determined by the field frequency for a fixed dc
field, or by the dc field for a fixed frequency. As a
consequence, a non universal behavior arises for the
temperature dependence of /spl chi//sub n/. In particular, in
this approach the frequency dependencies of both amplitude and
temperature of the peak of the imaginary part of the first
harmonic and of the modulus of the third harmonic are
discussed. |
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Hidden
network of long Josephson junctions as a source of strong
pinning mechanisms in high temperature superconducting
films E. Mezzetti, E. Crescio, R.
Gerbaldo, G. Ghigo, L. Gozzelino and B.
Minetti
Summary: In the hypothesis that good
quality high temperature superconducting (HTS) films can be
modeled as an agglomeration of islands coupled via Josephson
contacts, we calculate the critical current density J/sub c/
vs. field in a long Josephson junction (LJJ). The coupling
energies in the junction are modulated by defects with given
distribution and size. The superconductor is then considered
as a network of LJJ between superconducting islands. Each LJJ
has a different defect distribution. The model accounts for
all main trends of the experimental electromagnetic behavior.
The most important issue is that a "hidden" network of LJJ
with a suitable distribution of optimized defects is the
source of high critical current density in "good quality"
films. Therefore any needed response of the film in a given
range of field can be designed in advance. |
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Magnetic
field induced texture in high-Tc
superconductors P.J. Ferreira,
H.B. Liu and J.B. Vander Sande
Summary:
Bi-2212 superconductor thick films and tapes were
melt-grown under a zero and 10 T magnetic field. In the latter
case the degree of alignment and consequent transport critical
current densities were enhanced. Melt-processing tapes or
thick films in a 10 T magnetic field seems to produce
uniformly textured grains throughout a large thickness. A
theoretical model developed to quantify the degree of texture
achieved during various processing conditions suggests that
the degree of alignment is obtained through grain rotation
during the early stages of grain growth from the
liquid. |
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Interaction
between a permanent magnet and an HTS trapped field
magnet Y. Postrekhin, K.B. Ma,
J.-H. Yu and W.-K. Chu
Summary: High
temperature superconductor trapped field magnets were made out
of disks of melt-textured YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ prepared
by the seeded directional solidification method. It is shown
that the force between the magnet and the HTS trapped field
magnet depends on the polarity of the frozen magnetic field
and can be positive or negative. The levitation force between
a magnet and a trapped field magnet is compared with that
between the same magnet and a high temperature superconductor
without trapped flux under zero field cooled condition. The
stability of a levitation system based on the trapped field
magnets has been investigated by studying the
amplitude-frequency characteristics of the system where a
permanent magnet is attached to a soft cantilever beam and
placed above the trapped field magnet. |
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YBCO-coated
conductor on buffered textured metallic tape by hot-wall type
MOCVD M. Hasegawa, Y. Yoshida, K.
Matsumoto, I. Hirabayashi, M. Iwata, Y. Takai, H. Akata and K.
Higashiyama
Summary: We have prepared YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-y/ thin films on {100}<001> cube
textured Ag tape (CUTE-Ag tape) by metal organic chemical
vapor deposition (MOCVD). The obtained films are highly c axis
oriented, and the surfaces of the films were smooth. However,
the in-plane alignment of the films was not pure four-fold
symmetric. Then we examined preparation of YBCO films on Y/sub
2/O/sub 3/ buffered CUTE-Ag tapes. The Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ layer
was deposited by MOCVD and the YBCO films on that layer was c
axis oriented with good in-plane alignment. Furthermore after
the YBCO films growth was terminated, the peak of Y/sub
2/O/sub 3/ almost disappeared. We considered that the Y/sub
2/O/sub 3/ layer was incorporated into the YBCO film during
deposition. We also deposited YBCO films on {110}<001>
textured Ag tape for which good in-plane alignment of YBCO
film was expected from the near-coincidence site lattice
(NCSL) model. The critical temperature of both YBCO films on
the CUTE-Ag tape and on the {110}<001> textured Ag tape
were T/sub c(zero)/=80 K. |
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Large
area YBCO films on polycrystalline substrates with very high
critical current densities M.
Bauer, R. Semerad, H. Kinder, J. Wiesmann, J. Dzick and H.C.
Freyhardt
Summary: We deposited large-area
YBCO films by reactive thermal co-evaporation on biaxially
textured, Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ stabilized ZrO/sub 2/ (YSZ) buffer
layers fabricated by an IBAD technique (ion beam assisted
deposition). Polycrystalline, partially stabilized ZrO/sub 2/
(PSZ) with a size of 10/spl times/10 cm was used as a
substrate. Homogeneous, biaxially aligned IBAD buffer layers
were prepared by using large ion guns and substrate rotation
during the IBAD process. YBCO films with thicknesses of up to
1400 nm were deposited. The biaxial alignment of the buffer
layer and of the YBCO film was characterized by X-ray
diffraction. The FWHM of YSZ [111] /spl phi/-scans varied
laterally within a range of 15/spl deg/ to 20/spl deg/. The
FWHM of the YBCO [103] was always several degrees better with
value of only 7/spl deg/ to 9/spl deg/. The YSZ thickness
dependence of this improvement was analyzed. We achieved a
mean critical current density of 1.9 MA/cm/sup 2/ and a
maximum critical current density of 2.1 MA/cm/sup 2/ on a
substrate area of 10/spl times/10 cm. |
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YSZ
buffer layers on large technical
substrates J. Dzick, J. Wiesmann,
J. Hoffmann, K. Heinemann, F. Garcia-Moreno, A. Isaev, H.C.
Freyhardt and W. Lechner
Summary: The
ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) of yttria-stabilized
zirconia (YSZ) films was extended to large technical
substrates such as ceramic plates, metallic tapes and metallic
tubes to serve as templates for high-current carrying
Y-Ba-Cu-O films. These YSZ films are deposited with
dual-Kaufman-ion-source equipment. The coating of technical
substrates large in comparison to the ion sources requires
special measures to provide YSZ films of homogeneous texture
quality. With respect to the special growth mechanism of YSZ,
a homogenization of the in-plane texture can be achieved by
simple movement of the substrate. Up to now we have been able
to produce YSZ films on ceramic substrates (10 cm/spl times/10
cm) with a homogeneous in-plane texture of 17/spl deg/ FWHM
and on a Ni-tape (1 cm/spl times/50 cm) with a FWHM of 21/spl
deg/. The main aspects of the growth mechanism-the influence
of the nucleation, the improvement of texture with increasing
film thickness and homoepitaxial effects-and the surface
morphology are investigated in detail with transmission
electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy
(AFM). |
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Fabrication
of biaxially textured Ni substrates and LaNiO/sub 3/ buffer
layers for Tl-1223 thick
films T.A. Gladstone, J.C. Moore,
A.J. Wilkinson and C.R.M. Grovenor
Summary:
We have fabricated cube texture nickel substrates and
examined the relationship between percentage rolling
deformation and annealing conditions on the degree of texture
obtained using XRD and EBSD techniques. We have found that
unaligned grains may be avoided by rolling to 95% reduction
and annealing at 800/spl deg/C for 4 hours. We have fabricated
LaNiO/sub 3/ films on YSZ and lanthanum aluminate by spray
pyrolysis and achieved cube texture in thin
coatings. |
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Development
of biaxially aligned buffer layers on Ni and Ni-based alloy
substrates for YBCO tapes
fabrication T. Petrisor, V.
Boffa, G. Celentano, L. Ciontea, F. Fabbri, U. Gambardella, S.
Ceresara and P. Scardi
Summary: This paper
presents the development of the CeO/sub 2/ buffer layers on
both the non magnetic Ni-V and the Pd-buffered Ni substrates
by pulsed laser ablation (PLD). The CeO/sub 2/ films show
strong in-plane and out-of-plane orientations. The SEM studies
showed that the CeO/sub 2/ films are both smooth and
continuous. The magnetic and structural properties of the new
Ni-V substrate are also presented. The results demonstrate
that Ni-V is an alternative substrate for the fabrication of
textured YBCO conductors. |
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Laser
deposition of YBCO on long-length technical
substrates F. Garcia-Moreno, A.
Usoskin, H.C. Freyhardt, A. Issaev, J. Wiesmann, J. Hoffmann,
K. Heinemann, S. Sievers and J. Dzick
Summary:
YBCO films with a high-quality in-plane texture have
been grown on different Ni, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)
and stainless steel (SS) substrates using a modified
pulsed-laser deposition technique. A biaxially textured buffer
of YSZ grown by ion-beam-assisted deposition was employed as a
template for the YBCO film as well as a diffusion barrier.
X-ray and TEM analyses were employed to understand the growth
mechanisms. For short Ni substrates (10/spl times/10 mm),
critical current densities J/sub c/ up to 2 MA/cm/sup 2/ (at
77 K, 0 T) were observed. Long YBCO coated samples with
lengths up to 0.5 m were manufactured on Ni tapes (10 mm wide)
and tubes (r=4-7 mm). Contactless measurements of the critical
parameters were provided by a third-harmonic method. By
bending experiments of YBCO films with external strain
loading, J/sub c/ was found to be reversible in the range of
strains between -0.5% and +0.5% under tension and compression,
with a pronounced maximum under compressive
strains. |
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CeO/sub
2/ buffer layers for YBCO: growth and processing via sol-gel
technique E. Celik, J. Schwartz,
E. Avci, H.J. Schneider-Muntau and Y.S.
Hascicek
Summary: In this study, the
processing and growth mechanisms of CeO/sub 2/ buffer layers
were evaluated on Ni substrates for YBCO superconductor. The
sol-gel technique was utilized to produce buffer layers from
six different Ce based precursor materials. The
microstructure, phase composition and formation of buffer
layers were characterized by means of ESEM, SEM, EDS, XRD,
pole figure XRD and DTA techniques. The results indicated that
the CeO/sub 2/ formation starts at temperature of 420/spl
deg/C. It was found that the best crack free CeO/sub 2/ thin
films were obtained by using Ce(NO/sub 3/)/sub 3//spl
middot/6H/sub 2/O and colloidal CeO/sub 2/ based precursor
materials. Different anions and their concentrations also
influenced the structure of thin films. |
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Optimization
of buffer layers on rolled-Ni substrates for high current YBCO
and Tl,Bi-1223 coated conductors using ex-situ precursor
approaches M. Paranthaman, D.F.
Lee, R. Feenstra, A. Goyal, D.T. Verebelyi, D.K. Christen,
E.D. Specht, F.A. List, P.M. Martin, D.M. Kroeger, Z.F. Ren,
W. Li, D.Z. Wang, J.Y. Lao and J.H. Wang
Summary:
High current YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-y/ (YBCO) and
Tl/sub 0.78/Bi/sub 0.22/Sr/sub 1.6/Ba/sub 0.4/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 9-y/ (Tl,Bi-1223) coated conductors were fabricated on
Rolling-Assisted Biaxially Textured Substrates (RABiTS) with a
layer sequence of CeO/sub 2//YSZ/CeO/sub 2//Ni. The top and
bottom CeO/sub 2/ (Cerium oxide) layers were deposited
epitaxially on textured-Ni [100] substrates using reactive
evaporation of Ce metal. The thickness of the CeO/sub 2/ films
was 200-400 /spl Aring/. The YSZ (Yttria Stabilized Zirconia)
layers were also deposited epitaxially on CeO/sub 2/-buffered
Ni substrates either by rf magnetron sputtering or e-beam
evaporation. The thickness of the YSZ films was typically
3000-9000 /spl Aring/. The e-beam CeO/sub 2/ films were dense,
crack-free and columnar. The microstructure of sputtered YSZ
was dense and the e-beam deposited YSZ was porous. To
understand the stability of these buffer layers, the as-grown
CeO/sub 2/-buffered YSZ (both sputtered and e-beam)/CeO/sub
2//Ni substrates were annealed in a controlled oxygen furnace
at various temperatures. RBS studies indicate that the YSZ
sputtered films were quite stable up to 780/spl deg/C and
200-mTorr oxygen. For e-beam YSZ films, there was an
indication of diffusion of oxygen through these buffers into
the Ni substrate. The Tl,Bi-1223 films were grown on all
e-beam buffers using pulsed laser ablation of precursor films
followed by post-annealing. The YBCO films were grown on
e-beam/sputtered buffers using e-beam co-evaporated Y-BaF/sub
2/-Cu precursors followed by post-annealing. |
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In-plane
alignment of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-y/ films realized by
CeO/sub 2/ buffer layer on textured Ag{100}<001>
tapes Y. Takahashi, K. Matsumoto,
S.-B. Kim, I. Hirabayashi, H. Akata and K.
Higashiyama
Summary: Homogeneous in-plane
aligned YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-y/ (YBCO) films on long
metallic substrates are required for power applications. In
order to establish in-plane aligned YBCO films, we have been
studying Ag{100}<001> textured tapes buffered with a
[001]-oriented CeO/sub 2/ layer. The YBCO and CeO/sub 2/ films
were deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The CeO/sub
2/ deposition rate was 900 /spl Aring//min. The CeO/sub 2/
films on Ag{100}<001> textured substrates mere
[100]-oriented and highly in-plane aligned. The YBCO films
deposited by PLD on CeO/sub 2/ buffered Ag substrates also
have c-axis oriented and good in-plane alignment. T/sub c/ and
J/sub c/ values of the YBCO films were 81 K and 1/spl
times/10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K,
respectively. |
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Long
length fabrication of YBCO on rolling assisted biaxially
textured substrates (RABiTS) using pulsed laser
deposition C. Park, D.P. Norton,
D.K. Christen, D.T. Verebelyi, R. Feenstra, J.D. Budai, A.
Goyal, D.F. Lee, E.D. Specht, D.M. Kroeger and M.
Paranthaman
Summary: The continuous
deposition of multi-layer oxide films on moving long-length
metallic substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is
reported. Epitaxial YBCO/CeO/sub 2//yttria-stabilized zirconia
(YSZ)/CeO/sub 2/ layers were grown on 1 cm/spl times/10 cm
rolled-Ni tape substrates. The Ni tape was heated radiatively
and translated while oxide layers were continuously deposited.
The thickness and composition along the moving direction were
uniform to within /spl plusmn/7% and /spl plusmn/5%,
respectively. The biaxial texture of the 10 cm Ni tape was
transferred through the buffer layers to the topmost YBCO
during the continuous deposition. The in-plane and
out-of-plane texturing of YBCO and buffer layers were uniform
along the scanning direction with variations less than /spl
plusmn/10% and /spl plusmn/5%, respectively. The average
transport zero field J/sub c/ (77 K) for numerous 10 cm
samples was about 200,000 A/cm/sup 2/, with the highest J/sub
c/ and I/sub c/ values at 77 K, 0 T of 270,000 A/cm/sup 2/ and
16.7 A respectively. This study demonstrates the feasibility
of continuous multilayer, multi-component oxide film
deposition on rolled-textured metal with uniform thickness,
composition, and crystallographic orientation using
PLD. |
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Preparation
and characterization of Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ buffer layers and
YBCO films on textured Ni tape A.
Ichinose, G. Daniels, C.-Y. Yang, D.C. Larbalestier, A.
Kikuchi, K. Tachikawa and S. Akita
Summary:
The direct deposition of Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ buffer layers
on cube-textured nickel tape was successfully performed by
electron beam deposition using Y metal which oxidized during
deposition. The Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ layer exhibited excellent
out-of-plane alignment of FWHM of 2.3/spl sim/4/spl deg/ and
good in-plane alignment with /spl sim/11/spl deg/ FWHM.
Surface morphology, crystal orientation and grain size proved
to be quite sensitive to the deposition pressure. The surface
roughness and the grain size increased with increasing
deposition pressure, and the crystal orientation changed from
[111]Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ to [100]Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/. Subsequently,
YBCO superconducting films were deposited on [100]Y/sub
2/O/sub 3/ buffer layers by co-evaporation deposition and
pulsed-laser deposition (PLD). Though a good in-plane
alignment, as measured by X-ray /spl phi/-scan, was achieved
in the YBCO films, their superconducting characteristics were
not so good. The T/sub c/ onset was about 84 K for the
[001]YBCO by PLD. The crystal alignment and the microstructure
of YBCO superconducting films deposited by the two deposition
techniques on cube-textured Ni tapes with Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/
buffer layers are compared. |
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Thick
film biaxially textured YBCO coated tape conductors prepared
using magnetic grain alignment M.
Staines, J.-Y. Genoud, A. Mawdsley and V.
Manojlovic
Summary: We report a new approach
to the preparation of biaxially textured YBCO coated tape
conductors. Using a dynamic magnetic grain alignment
technique, a biaxially aligned dispersion of orthorhombic
Y-247 powder is settled on untextured silver substrates. In
subsequent heat treatment the Y-247 is transformed to Y-123
and CuO involving a partial melt. Critical current densities
at 77 K in self-field of up to 5000 A/cm/sup 2/ have been
obtained in films from 10 to 30 /spl mu/m thick. There is a
clear enhancement of J/sub c/ relative to identically prepared
untextured or uniaxially textured samples. J/sub c/ appears to
be limited at present by the difficulty of achieving fully
densified films while retaining biaxial texture. Provided
significant improvements in J/sub c/ can be obtained this
method offers an alternative to coated tape processes based on
epitaxial growth which does not demand textured substrates and
can give much higher fill factors. The grain alignment
technique is quite general for materials with anisotropic
magnetic or electric susceptibility and can therefore be
utilised in a wide range of applications. |
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HTS
wire irradiation test with 8 GeV
protons S. Feher, H. Glass, Y.
Huang, P.J. Limon, D.F. Orris, J. Ozelis, P. Schlabach, M.A.
Tartaglia and J.C. Tompkins
Summary: The
radiation level at High Energy Particle Accelerators (HEPA)
can be high enough to damage electronic devices. Any active
component near the accelerator must be radiation resistant.
Since High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) have great
potential to be used in HEPAs (e.g., in superconducting
magnets, current leads, RF cavities), it is important to
understand the radiation hardness of these materials. A
radiation test of HTS wire (BSCCO-2223) was performed at
Fermilab. The HTS sample was irradiated with 8 GeV protons and
the critical current, I/sub c/, was measured during the
irradiation. The total radiation dose was 10.8/spl plusmn/1.0
Mrad. No change in I/sub c/ was observed. |
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Strong
vortex pinning by elongated, discontinuous defects in
Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O films E.L.
Venturini, P. Newcomer Provencio, B.L. Doyle and D.K.
Brice
Summary: Elongated, discontinuous
defects provide strong vortex pinning and a corresponding
large increase in critical current density in highly
anisotropic Tl/sub 2/Ba/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub x/ (Tl-2212)
thin films. We generate controlled, amorphous damage regions
in Tl-2212 thin films ranging from short, discontinuous
defects to continuous linear tracks using Au ion irradiation
with incident energies of 30, 60 and 88 MeV. High-resolution
TEM images and magnetization data allow correlation of
microstructural damage with changes in the superconducting
properties. Furnace annealing of an irradiated film shows that
the enhanced pinning is stable to above 600/spl
deg/C. |
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Pinning
effect on critical dynamics in Tl/sub 2/Ba/sub 2/CaCu/sub
2/O/sub 8/ films before and after introducing columnar
defects Jin-Tae Kim, Y.K. Park,
J.-C. Park, W.N. Kang, C.W. Chu, H.R. Lim, D.H. Kim, J.U. Lee
and K.E. Gray
Summary: The effect of columnar
defects on the critical dynamics of superconducting Tl/sub
2/Ba/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8/ (Tl-2212) film has been
investigated. The Tl-2212 film was irradiated at 0/spl deg/C
by 1.3 GeV U-ions along the normal of the film surface. The
dose of 6.0/spl times/10/sup 10/ ions/cm/sup 2/ of the U-ion
irradiation corresponds to a matching field of 1.2 T. The
in-plane longitudinal resistivity of the irradiated Tl-2212
has been measured as a function of magnetic field H and
temperature T. The extracted fluctuation part of the
conductivity /spl sigma//sub xx/(T, H) of the unirradiated
sample exhibits 3D-XY scaling behavior that reveals dynamic
critical exponent z=1.8/spl plusmn/0.1 and static critical
exponent /spl nu//spl ap/1.338. The results indicate that the
weak interlayer coupling along the c-axis of Tl-2212
significantly influences static critical exponent /spl nu/ and
does not change dynamical critical exponent. After the
irradiation, the fluctuation conductivities are enhanced by
the strong pinnings and do not exhibit the same 3D-XY scaling
behavior as for the unirradiated Tl-2212. Particularly at the
low magnetic field values near the matching field of 1.2 T,
the fluctuation conductivities show a clear deviation from the
critical dynamics, suggesting that the pinning effect on the
critical dynamics is significant. |
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Neutron
irradiation effect on magnetization and thermal conductivity
of (Hg/sub 1-x/Bi/sub x/)Ba/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/
superconductor S. Nakamae, J.
Crow and J. Schwartz
Summary: We have
investigated the neutron irradiation effect on a phase-pure
(Hg/sub 1-x/Bi/sub x/)Ba/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/
superconductor through magnetization and thermal conductivity
measurements. It has been found that the inclusion of
point-defects from the irradiation lowers the transition
temperature and destroys the coupling between neighboring
superconducting grains. Such point-defects act as strong flux
pinning sites in the mixed state, resulting in the critical
current density increase. The thermal conductivity data are
used to study the scattering mechanisms between the heat
carriers and the point defects in the absence and the presence
of magnetic fields. |
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Pinning
of magnetic flux lines in Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductors by neutron
irradiation and chemical
route J.K.S. Christiansen, N.H.
Andersen and T. Frello
Summary: The increase
of critical magnetization current due to pinning of magnetic
flux lines in Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductors has been investigated.
The methods utilized were either irradiation by fast neutrons
or addition of yttria inclusions prior to processing. The
Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductors were prepared as plates (20 to 40 cm
in length) using melt texturing method. Samples were
irradiated using doses of 2/spl times/10/sup 21/ to 5/spl
times/10/sup 22/ neutrons pr. sq. m. According to
magnetization measurements, the critical current density is
improved /spl sim/3 and /spl sim/12 times at magnetic fields
of 0.07 and 1 tesla respectively. Thus, at 1 tesla the
critical current density was improved from 290 to 3500
A/cm/sup 2/ by an irradiation of 1/spl times/10/sup 22/
neutrons/spl middot/m/sup -2/. Addition of yttria results in
formation of 1 to 20 /spl mu/m large inclusion of Y/sub
2/BaCuO/sub 5/ in the superconducting material. The critical
current characteristics show a peak-effect at 1 to 2 tesla,
with critical currents comparable to irradiated samples. Melt
textured single crystals have equal high critical current
densities at these applied magnetic fields. |
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Intragranular
and intergranular superconducting properties of bulk
melt-textured YBCO Ph.
Vanderbemden, R. Cloots, M. Ausloos, R.A. Doyle, A.D. Bradley,
W. Lo, D.A. Cardwell and A.M. Campbell
Summary:
We have investigated the superconducting properties of
bulk melt-processed YBCO using different experimental
techniques. First, single domain materials (i.e. containing no
grain boundaries) have been studied. Electrical resistivity,
current-voltage characteristics, M-H loops, and A.C.
susceptibility have been measured for different field and
current directions. The intragranular properties are
characteristic of high-quality melt-processed YBCO material,
with a critical current density J/sub c/(T=77 K, B=1
T//c)>10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/. The anisotropy ratio J/sub
c/(ab)/J/sub c/(c) is found to be close to 3. Both magnetic
and transport measurements show that defects in the
microstructure do not significantly impede the current flow
inside the single domain. These results were compared to those
measured on samples containing one "natural" single grain
boundary which sometimes appears during the grain growth
process. The intergranular properties show a much stronger
current and magnetic field dependence than that measured
within the grain and these differences are
discussed. |
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Magnetic
field dependence of transport properties of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// films on hastelloy substrates with YSZ
buffer layers W.A.J. Quinton,
R.A. Doyle, J.D. Johnson, W.Y. Liang and F.
Baudenbacher
Summary: Biaxially aligned
yttria stabilised zirconia (YSZ) buffer layers were deposited
on polycrystalline Hastelloy-C substrates using the inclined
substrate deposition technique. In-plane aligned, c-axis
oriented, YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// films were
then grown onto these buffer layers. Resistively determined
irreversibility lines of these films are presented, as well as
critical current densities which have been extracted from
measurements of E-J characteristics taken at 77.7 K for fields
of up to 7 Tesla aligned either parallel or perpendicular to
the ab-plane. Data are also presented showing the resistance
as a function of the angle between the field and the c-axis.
Strong pinning is observed both for fields parallel to the
ab-plane (intrinsic pinning), and for fields parallel to the
c-axis; the latter being due to either twin or grain
boundaries. |
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Critical
magnetization current density and repulsive force determined
by repulsive method J.K.S.
Christiansen, L.G. Andersen, S.L. Frederiksen and J.
Mygind
Summary: Determination of the critical
magnetization current density of large superconducting samples
was performed using a levitation force method. It is based on
measurement of the force between the superconductor and a
permanent Nd-Fe-B magnet, thus the applied magnetic field may
be up to /spl sim/0.4 tesla. At this field, levitation forces
up to 6.6 N (5.5 MN/m/sup 3/) were measured on melt processed
tablets of Y-Ba-Cu-O material with dimensions of /spl sim/2
cm/spl times/2 cm/spl times/0.3 cm. |
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Magnetic
response of Y/Pb doped single-crystal Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub
2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+d/
superconductors S. Tochihara, A.
Goto, H. Yasuoka, H. Mazaki, M. Osada and M.
Kakihana
Summary: The magnetic properties of
Y/Pb doped single-crystal Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub
8+d/ have been investigated in terms of the magnetization
curves measured using a SQUID magnetometer. The observed
results were analyzed within the construct of the modified
Kim-Anderson critical-state model, where lower critical fields
H/sub cl/ and surface barriers /spl Delta/H were explicitly
taken into consideration. Analyses have revealed that the
magnetic response is closely correlated to the carrier
concentration, and both the lower critical field and the
pinning force increase with the increase of the carrier
concentration in the CuO/sub 2/ plane. |
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Harmonic
AC susceptibilities on directionally solidified YBaCuO
samples M. Polichetti, S. Pace,
A. Vecchione and F. Celani
Summary: In order
to study the flux lines dynamics on melt textured YBaCuO, the
AC magnetic susceptibility harmonics were measured with
different frequencies and amplitudes of the AC magnetic field.
In particular, we focus attention on the frequency effects on
the higher harmonics measured at various AC fields. The
analysis of the experimental data was performed by comparing
them with the results obtained by a critical state picture and
by numerical simulations of the diffusion processes of the
magnetic field which determine the AC response in the presence
of different regimes of flux dynamics. As the frequency
changes, a clear nonuniversal temperature dependence appears
in the experimental curves. In qualitative agreement with the
numerical results obtained by assuming the existence of
dissipation processes as a sequence of independent flux creep
and flux flow events within a collective pinning
framework. |
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Intergrain
critical current density of Y123 bicrystal films grown by LPE
method T. Takagi, J.G. Wen, T.
Machi, K. Hashimoto, Y. Takahashi, T. Morishita, I.
Hirabayashi and N. Kosyhizuka
Summary: We
succeeded in producing Y123 bicrystal films with straight
grain boundaries by the LPE method. The Y123 bicrystal films
were grown on MgO bicrystal substrates with 24/spl deg/
misorientation angle. TEM images show that the grain boundary
consists of straight single facets of about 50 /spl mu/m
length. J/sub c/ across the grain boundary at 77 K in zero
magnetic field, 1.4/spl times/10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/, was one
order lower than that of the intragrain, /spl sim/10/sup 5/ A/
cm/sup 2/. This suppression rate of J/sub c/ in bicrystal
films with tilt angle 24/spl deg/ is lower than that in films
grown by PVD methods such as PLD. The normal resistance of the
intergrain boundary is small, which indicates that the
effective width of the straight interface is very
narrow. |
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Flux
pinning properties in Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub y/
single crystals and the effect of introducing nano-size MgO
particles H. Sasakura, O. Miura
and D. Ito
Summary: The pinning properties in
Bi(2212) single crystals prepared by the large
temperature-gradient technique are reported in comparison with
that of 5% MgO nano-size particle-added Bi(2212) crystals. We
studied the scaling of volume pinning force density F/sub p/
to the irreversibility field B/sub irr/ as the scaling field
parallel to the c-axis for these Bi(2212) crystals at low
temperature from 18 K to 30 K. It was found that for the MgO
added-crystals the normalized F/sub p/ was scaled to
temperature but for a single crystal no scaling was observed
for the irreversible field B/sub irr/ obtained from the field
dependence of the irreversibility temperature. When a field B*
which gives one percent of the maximum pinning force density
F/sub pmax/ was substituted for B/sub irr/, F/sub p//F/sub
pmax/ in single crystal scaled with B/B*. We discussed the
origin of disagreement between the irreversibility field B/sub
irr/ and field B* in a single crystal and the effect of the
MgO addition to the Bi(2212) crystal. Critical current of the
Bi(2212) crystal in low temperature region could be improved
by the 5% addition of the MgO nano-size
particles. |
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Vortex-induced
voltage instabilities in a superconducting BSCCO thin
film B. Savo and C.
Coccorese
Summary: Flux-induced voltage
switching events assuming the form of random telegraph signals
have been investigated in a current biased Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub
2/Ca/sub 1/Cu/sub 2/O/sub 8+x/ (BSCCO) thin film, at weak
magnetic fields (<10 G) and at temperatures ranging below 7
K. The observed phenomena cannot be framed within traditional
theoretical models. Rather, they strongly indicate two
distinct vortex dynamical states at the basis of the switching
events. A novel interpretation is proposed, relying on the
random decay of a flux-creep process in the
superconductor. |
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Critical
current variation and current transfer length in
multifilamentary Bi-2223/Ag
tapes A. Kasztler, M. Foiti, H.
Kirchmayr, M. Polak and M. Majoros
Summary:
In this work we compare V-I curves and critical
currents of a Bi-2223/Ag tape with 55 filaments in an Ag
matrix measured at 77 K with test sections of various lengths.
The distance between the potential taps on the sample was
reduced from 800 mm over 100 mm to 10 mm and 1 mm. Furthermore
it is shown how the shape of E-I curves varies with the length
of the measured section. We also observed that many of the
measured V-I curves have one or more linear sections. They are
supposed to be caused by current transfer voltages in the
vicinity of filament defects. We also studied the current
transfer length in order to see how far from a defect voltages
due to the current redistribution between a filament and the
matrix can be observed. These results show that the critical
currents of multifilamentary tapes could be increased strongly
by improving their homogeneity. |
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Electrical
DC characteristics of textured BSCCO-2212 thin rods developed
for current leads M. Mora, E.
Martinez, L.A. Angurel and R. Navarro
Summary:
Textured Bi-2212 thin rods have been fabricated using a
laser floating zone melting technique. Very high critical
current densities, J/sub c/(77 K) >5000 A/cm/sup 2/, have
been obtained in samples of 1 mm in diameter. Transport
properties of these samples at temperatures between 65 and 77
K are reported. The results has been analysed assuming a flux
flow mechanism for the appearance of the self field energy
losses. A leading pinning mechanism associated with the planar
junctions between grains have been considered. |
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Flux
pinning due to MgO particle additions in partial-melt
processed Bi-2212 bulk B. Ni, Y.
Tomishige, Jiwu Xiong and Zhong Xian Zhao
Summary:
In order to introduce effective pinning centers into
Bi-2212 superconducting bulk, the addition of small MgO
particles to Bi-2212 bulk and its effect on flux pinning were
studied. Bi-2212 bulk samples were prepared by employing a
normal partial-melting process, with a 0-8 vol.% of MgO
particles addition. The morphology of Bi-2212 with MgO doping
was investigated by means of XRD and EPMA. The magnetization
and critical current densities (J/sub c/'s) in various
magnetic fields and temperatures were measured by using a
SQUID magnetometer. It was found that J/sub c/ in samples with
relatively large MgO particles introduced shows a larger value
than that in MgO-free sample, which implies that the MgO
particles act as effective pinning centers and enhance the
flux pinning characteristic in Bi-2212 bulk. A qualitative
agreement between the experimental results and theoretical
estimation was obtained. |
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Evaluation
of E-J characteristics for Bi-2223
wires H. Okamoto, F. Irie, T.
Kiss, K. Hasegawa, M. Inoue and M. Kanazawa
Summary:
We have studied a method to evaluate electric field (E)
vs. current density (J) characteristics of high temperature
superconductors as a basis for their power device application.
The E-J characteristics of Bi-2223 wires were measured in a
wide range of magnetic field and temperature. Those
characteristics are discussed by the theory of
critical-current-density distribution and by the scaling law
of the pinning force. |
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Fabrication
of large area superconducting thin film by pulsed laser
scanning Q.L. Wang, C.W. An, W.D.
Song, S.S. Oh, K.S. Ryu and D.Y. Jeong
Summary:
In order to deposit high quality high temperature
superconducting (HTS) YBCO thin films with a large area, the
pulsed laser scanning (PLS) method was tried and the thickness
distribution of the film was investigated. Large area YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ thin films on /spl phi/ 36 mm diameter
LaAlO/sub 3/ and /spl phi/ 42 mm diameter Y-ZrO/sub 2/ (YSZ)
single crystal substrates were obtained by rotating lenses
with radii of 9 and 12.9 mm. The critical temperatures T/sub
c/ of the films at the center and edge were all 90 K. The
critical current density J/sub c/ at 77 K and zero magnetic
field is over 10/sup 6/ A/cm/sup 2/. X-ray diffraction showed
that the thin films are completely c-axis oriented. The V-I
characteristics of the thin films were also
investigated. |
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Large
area pulsed laser deposition of YBCO thin
films B. Schey, W. Bieel, M. Kuhn
and B. Stritzker
Summary: A special PLD-setup
for large area deposition of homogeneous YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-x/ (YBCO) thin films and buffer layers as large as 7
cm/spl times/20 cm is presented. A new concept for homogeneous
large area substrate heating and the influence of the
deposition rate on the film properties is discussed. YBCO is
deposited on r-plane sapphire substrates (10 cm/spl times/10
cm) as well as on smaller (2 inch O, 1 cm/spl times/1 cm)
SrTiO/sub 3/, MgO, LaAlO/sub 3/, and on yttria stabilized
ZrO/sub 2/ substrates distributed over the deposition area.
The homogeneity of the deposited YBCO films concerning
structural and electrical properties is investigated by XRD,
RBS/channeling, and spatially resolved inductive measurements
of T/sub c/ and J/sub c/. The variation of J/sub c/ on a 2
inch MgO wafer is less than /spl plusmn/9%, the mean c-axis
length is 11.681 /spl Aring/, the FWHMs of the [005] rocking
curves are 0.40 and the channeling minimum yield /spl chi//sub
min/ varies between 3.7% and 4.9% over the 2 inch wafer. The
J/sub c/ values of YBCO on 7 cm x 20 cm in situ buffered
sapphire substrates are (2.0/spl plusmn/0.4 MA/cm/sup 2/) at
T=77 K and B=0 T. |
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Double-sided
sputtering deposition of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl
delta// thin films on 2" LaAlO/sub 3/ wafers for microwave
applications Y. Lemaitre, D.
Mansart, B. Marcilhac, J.C. Mage and J.
Siejka
Summary: Superconducting yttrium
barium copper oxide films were prepared on 2" lanthanum
aluminate substrates by sputtering from a cylindrical and
stoichiometric target. The deposition parameters were studied
in order to obtain in a reproducible manner a sufficiently low
value of the surface resistance for microwave applications.
The typical value at 10 GHz and 77 K was 0.35 m/spl Omega/
down to 0.2 m/spl Omega/. The purpose of this work was the
subsequent deposition of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-z/ on the
LaAlO/sub 3/ backside without degradation of the first
deposit. The fabrication of the subsequent deposit was made
with the same deposition parameters as the first film after
turning over the substrate at room temperature. The physical
and structural properties of both side deposits were analyzed
(RBS, ion channeling, MEB, XRD, Rs and electrical
resistivity). Although the first film underwent a second
thermal process during the subsequent deposition, the surface
resistance value was not degraded. This unexpected result is
discussed in the frame of the mechanism of oxygenation in
YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ film by changing the conditions
of sample cooling. An example of a microwave filter using this
double-sided structure is presented. |
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Preparation
of YBCO thin film by MOCVD method using new liquid metal
organic precursors Y. Tasaki, S.
Yoshizawa, K. Koyama and Y. Fujino
Summary:
New low melting point yttrium, barium, and copper
complexes were synthesized for metalorganic chemical vapor
deposition (MOCVD),
tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-octandionato)yttrium (Y(TMOD)/sub
3/), Ba(TMOD)/sub 2/, and
bis(6-ethyl-2,2-dimethyl-3,5-octanedionato)copper
(Cu(EDMOD)/sub 2/). The melting point of Y(TMOD)/sub 3/,
95/spl deg/C, is 80/spl deg/C lower than that of the
conventional tris(dipivalaylmethanato)yttrium (Y(DPM)/sub 3/).
The melting point of Cu(EDMOD)/sub 2/ is 78/spl deg/C, which
is 120/spl deg/C lower than that of Cu(DPM)/sub 2/. For
fabrication of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y-/spl delta// thin
films, these complexes were used in the liquid state where a
stable deposition rate could be obtained; the Y(TMOD)/sub 3/
and the Cu(EDMOD)/sub 2/ were heated at 105/spl deg/C and
90/spl deg/C, respectively, and the mixture of Ba(DPM)/sub 2/
and Ba(TIMOD)/sub 2/ in the ratio of 4 to 1 was used at
215/spl deg/C. Single crystal STO(100) was used as a
substrate. Substrate temperature was 800/spl deg/C. Thin
films, of thickness 200 nm, were obtained. The XRD patterns of
all the samples showed the preferred orientation of the c-axis
normal to the substrate surface. The superconductivity was
confirmed at 78 K. |
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Y-Ba-Cu-O
thin films composition formation during magnetron
sputtering M.N. Drozdov, S.V.
Gaponov, S.A. Gusev, E.B. Kluenkov, V.I. Luchin, D.V.
Masterov, S.K. Saykov and A.K. Vorobiev
Summary:
The presence of various precipitations of secondary
phases in Y-Ba-Cu-O films is extremely undesirable for many
applications. Occurrence of yttrium-rich and copper-rich
secondary phases in our films prepared by inverted magnetron
sputtering is the result of the film composition deviations
from "123" stoichiometry during in-situ growth. We have
simulated and investigated in detail the processes causing the
film composition deviations from stoichiometry. First,
long-term changes (up to 50%) in the target composition due to
the diffusion mass transfer inside the target are possible.
Second, the distinctions in the modes of scattering by the
background gas and in diffusive travelling of sputtered atoms
to the substrate can lead to deviations (up to 15%) of film
composition from the target composition. Third, the deviations
(up to 30%) may be caused by significant nonstoichiometric
currents of desorbed YBCO components from coated elements of
the sputtering system to the substrate and from the growing
film on substrate. These currents are a result of selective
redeposition of the growing film by bombardment of positive
plasma ions accelerated (up to 1 eV) through the floating
potential voltage. The films with optimized properties show a
zero resistance temperature of 92 K and a critical current
density of 3/spl middot/10/sup 6/ A/cm/sup 2/ (at 77
K). |
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Corrosion
of superconductors-especially of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub
7-/spl delta// cuprate M. Regier,
E. Keskin and J. Halbritter
Summary:
Electronic properties of superconductors deteriorate
with time by oxidation or other chemical attack enforced by
thermal cycling. Despite being oxides, cuprate superconductors
deteriorate in lab atmosphere. The corrosion of, e.g., YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// (YBCO) is mainly caused by
H/sub 2/O and CO/sub 2/, which react to Ba-hydroxide and to
Ba-carbonate. As reaction paths the CuO-chain-BaO-layers are
the fastest ones, whereas the out-of-plane paths are slower.
Grain and twin boundaries or strain have been identified as
paths for O-diffusion or reaction with H/sub 2/O and CO/sub
2/. |
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Properties
of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O (2212) films deposited by sputtering on
tilted substrates M. Moriya, T.
Okamoto, K. Usami, T. Kobayashi and T. Goto
Summary:
Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O (2212) thin films have been deposited on
tilted SrTiO/sub 3/ substrates using a dc sputtering system.
These films have been deposited at 710-790/spl deg/C. The
thickness of these films is about 170 nm. The films deposited
at 730, 750 and 770/spl deg/C exhibit superconductivity, and
the highest value of critical temperature is about 70 K for
the film deposited at 750/spl deg/C. The crystal structure of
this film has also been investigated by X-ray diffraction with
c-axis oriented 2212 phase. |
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Submicron-size
fabrication of BSCCO thin films by using patterned
substrates T. Ishibashi, T.
Kawahara, H. Kaneko and K. Sato
Summary:
Submicron-size Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O, (BSCC0)
structures of mesa patterns with dimensions of 0.3/spl mu/m x
0.3/spl mu/m and line patterns of 0.3/spl mu/m width were
fabricated on patterned SrTiO/sub 3/ (001) substrates. These
submicron-sized BSCCO structures were grown on patterned
structures directly drawn by an focused ion beam (FIB)
apparatus with a Ga ion beam accelerated at 30 kV. The c-axis
oriented epitaxial BSCCO thin films were prepared by the
molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) method on the patterned
substrates with a thickness of 70nm. The fine submicron-size
BSCCO structures were obtained from the growth properties of
the crystal, which favor the formation of (100), (010), (110)
and (110) facets. These patterns are free from damages from
various etching processes. |
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Growth
of superconducting Hg-1212 very-thin
films L. Fang, S.L. Yan, T.
Aytug, A.A. Gapud, B.W. Kang, Y.Y. Xie and J.Z.
Wu
Summary: High quality epitaxial HgBa/sub
2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 6+/spl delta// (Hg-High 1212) films with
thickness less than 100 nm have been successfully synthesized
using a cation-exchange process. The films show the
superconducting transition up to /spl sim/118 K which is close
to the intrinsic value of 124 K for the Hg-1212 phase, and
critical current densities up to 1.1/spl times/10/sup
7/A/cm/sup 2/ at 5 K, 1.14/spl times/10/sup 6/A/cm/sup 2/ at
77 K and 2.59/spl times/10/sup 5/A/Vcm/sup 2/ at 100 K in zero
field. |
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Transport
properties of (Hg,M)-12(n-1)n (M=Re,Mo; n=2,3) superconducting
thin films Y. Moriwaki, T.
Sugano, S. Adachi, K. Tanabe and A.
Tsukamoto
Summary: We have successfully
fabricated 200-500 nm thick highly c-axis oriented
(Hg,Re)-1223 and (Hg,M)-1212 (M=Re,Mo) thin films on SrTiO/sub
3/(100) substrates by using HgO/M-Ba-Ca-Cu-O multilayer
precursor films prepared by pulsed laser deposition. Their
electrical transport properties in magnetic fields less than 7
T are investigated using 5-50 /spl mu/m wide bridges patterned
by means of electron-beam lithography and ion milling without
using water. The (Hg,Re)-1223 film exhibits a T/sub c/(zero)
of 127.5 K and a J/sub c/ value at 77 K of 1.5 and 0.2/spl
times/10/sup 6/ A/cm/sup 2/ in a self-field and 1 T field,
respectively. Higher J/sub c/ values below 100 K are observed
for (Hg,M)-1212 (M=Re,Mo) films with better crystallinity and
surface morphology than the 1223 film in spite of their lower
T/sub c/ (zero) of 115-122 K. The (Hg,Re)-1212 film exhibits
the highest J/sub c/ values of 5, 1.5, and 0.4/spl
times/10/sup 6/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 77 and 100 K in a self-field
and at 77 K in 1 T field, respectively. The irreversibility
field above 77 K evaluated from the resistive transitions of
these films is found to be substantially higher than those for
undoped Hg-1212 and Tl-1223 thin films. |
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Synthesis
and microwave properties of thin films of the 1:2:2:1
borocarbide superconductors YNiBC and
ErNiBC A. Andreone, C. Aruta, M.
Iavarone, F. Palomba, M.L. Russo, M. Salluzzo, R. Vaglio, A.
Cassinese, M.A. Hein, T. Kaiser, G. Mueller and M.
Perpeet
Summary: High-quality c-axis oriented
YNi/sub 2/B/sub 2/C (transition temperature T/sub c/=15 K) and
ErNi/sub 2/B/sub 2/C (T/sub c/=9.5 K) borocarbide
superconducting thin films were grown "in-situ" on MgO and
sapphire substrates by planar magnetron sputtering. Here we
report data on the temperature, DC and RF magnetic field
dependent surface impedance of the films and discuss them in
view of possible applications. The YNi/sub 2/B/sub 2/C films
displayed the behavior expected for BCS-like superconductors,
while the microwave response of the antiferromagnetically
ordering compound ErNi/sub 2/B/sub 2/C was distinctly
different. The field dependent surface resistance of both
types of films displayed granular effects. |
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Variation
of LaSrCuO film temperature during pulsed laser deposition on
LaSrGaO substrate C. Buzea, H.
Myoren, H.B. Wang, K. Nakajima and T.
Yamashita
Summary: By using a conventional
laser ablation system, LSCO thin films were deposited on
LaSrGaO/sub 4/(100) substrates in an oxygen environment.
During deposition the temperature of the film surface was
measured with an infrared pyrometer. The measured temperature
decreases following the exponential law of radiation
absorption in a material. The experimental results indicate an
increase of the deviation from the exponential law with
decreasing oxygen pressure in the chamber. The conclusion of
this experiment reveals the fact that either the refraction
index of the deposited material may vary nonuniformly or the
deposition velocity is not a constant during laser
ablation. |
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Pulsed
laser deposition of YBCO and NBCO using experimental
design A. Eulenburg, E.J. Romans
and C.M. Pegrum
Summary: Thin films of
YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ (YBCO) and NdBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-x/ (NBCO) were grown by pulsed laser deposition
(PLD). The experiment was planned using experimental design to
investigate the relative importance of the individual growth
parameters for the properties of the films. For both materials
critical temperatures close to 90 K were obtained. The
electrical and morphological properties of the films were
correlated to the growth conditions using regression analysis.
For NBCO, regions where both electrical and morphological
properties were optimised could be found, while for YBCO we
found that the main factors that lead to high critical
temperatures also lead to a substantial increase in the
surface roughness. |
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Growth
and properties of pulsed laser deposited superconducting
La/sub 1.85/Sr/sub 0.15/CuO/sub 4/ thin
films Weidong Si and X.X.
Xi
Summary: High quality thin films of high
temperature superconducting La/sub 1.85/Sr/sub 0.15/CuO/sub 4/
have been grown using pulsed laser deposition on LaSrAlO/sub
4/ buffer layers on [100] SrTiO/sub 3/ substrates. An
ozone/oxygen mixture was used during the cooling of the films
from the deposition temperature. The zero-resistance
superconducting transition temperature T/sub c/ was 39 K and
the critical current density J/sub c/ was over 10/sup 6/
A/cm/sup 2/ at 4.2 K for 800 /spl Aring/ thin films. The
resistivity was found to depend linearly on temperature with a
resistivity ratio /spl rho/(300 K)//spl rho/p(50 K) of 4.5 and
an intercept at T=0 of /spl sim/30 /spl mu//spl
Omega/cm. |
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Transport
properties and anisotropy measurements on [(BaCuO/sub
2/)/(CaCuO/sub 2/)] superconducting
superlattices A. Canesi, S.
Gariglio, D. Marre, I. Pallecchi, M. Putti, G. Balestrino,
P.G. Medaglia and G. Petrocelli
Summary:
Infinite layer based superlattices [(BaCuO/sub 2/)/sub
m//(CaCuO/sub 2/)/sub n/] are a new kind of artificial
superconductors with interesting properties both for
fundamental comprehension purposes and for future possible
applications. The artificial nature of these compounds offers
the possibility of analyzing the influence of the structural
properties on the superconducting behavior. For example we can
study the correlation between the number of CuO/sub 2/ planes
contained in the infinite layer block (CaCuO/sub 2/) and the
transport properties. In this paper, we present transport
properties characterization of some thin films of this family
containing different numbers of CuO/sub 2/ planes. Such films
have been grown by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD)
technique. In order to investigate the influence of the number
of CuO/sub 2/ planes and of the distance between them on
critical temperature, charge concentration, and anisotropy, we
perform measurements of resistivity, magnetoresistivity and
Hall coefficient as functions of temperature and applied
magnetic field. |
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New
artificial superlattices: correlation between structural
disorder and transport
properties D. Marre, S. Gariglio,
I. Pallecchi and A.S. Siri
Summary: The
development of thin film deposition techniques allowed the
growth of new artificial materials leading to the discovery of
new high T/sub c/ superconducting compounds as infinite layer
based superlattices [(BaCuO/sub 2/)/sub m//(CaCuO/sub 2/)/sub
n/]. The order of the superlattice structure seems to be one
of the crucial parameters to be improved so as to induce a
superconductivity onset in these materials and to make them
suitable for technological applications. In this paper we
present a study on the correlation between structural disorder
and transport properties of several artificial superlattices
grown by pulsed laser ablation technique. Our goal was to
simulate the layered structure of copper oxide
superconductors, so as to create new artificial
superconducting materials and study the charge transfer
mechanism. We chose infinite layer phases (SrCuO/sub 2/,
CaCuO/sub 2/, BaCuO/sub 3/) for the blocks containing CuO/sub
2/ planes and doped infinite layer phases (CaCu/sub 1-x/Sc/sub
x/O/sub y/, SrCu/sub 1-x/Sc/sub x/O/sub y/, CaCu/sub
1-x/Ag/sub x/O/sub y/ and SrCu/sub 1-x/Ag/sub x/O/sub y/, with
x ranging from 0.1 to 0.2) for the charge reservoir blocks. By
means of reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED)
and X-ray structural characterization as well as resistivity
and Hall effect measurements, we perform a comparative
analysis of structural and transport properties of these
samples and we tried to explain them in terms of Anderson's
theory of disorder. |
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Effect
of planarization of the bottom superconducting
yttrium-barium-copper-oxide layer in the multilayer
structure W.A. Luo, H.J. Yao, S.
Afonso, S.J. Qin, S.H. Yoo, S. Ang, W.D. Brown, G.J. Salamo
and F.T. Chan
Summary: YBCO/YSZ/SiO/sub
2//YSZ/YBCO multilayer structures have been successfully grown
on single crystal YSZ substrates. The YBCO superconducting
layers (300 nm thick) were deposited using pulsed laser
deposition (PLD). The YSZ layers (300 nm thick) which are
biaxially aligned were deposited using PLD and ion beam
assisted deposition (IBAD). A thick silicon dioxide layer (2-4
microns) was sandwiched between the YSZ layers to meet the low
dielectric constant requirement for multichip module
applications. However, if the bottom superconducting layer was
patterned into interconnecting lines as required in device
applications, the surface of the YSZ/SiO/sub 2//YSZ on top of
the patterned bottom superconducting layer had a roughness of
about 500 nm. As a result, the top YBCO was no longer
superconducting. Thus, planarization of the patterned bottom
superconducting layer becomes a key issue. We have developed a
"fill-in and lift-off" process to fill the gap between the
patterned bottom superconducting lines with YSZ, As a result,
we were able to reduce the surface roughness of the bottom
YBCO layer to about 10 nm so the top layer was superconducting
with a critical temperature of 87 K. |
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Stress
induced change in hole concentration in superlattice films of
bismuth-based oxide
superconductors T. Hatano, S.
Labat, A. Ishii, S. Arisawa and K. Togano
Summary:
Superlattice films of bismuth-based oxide
superconductors, for instance (2234)/sub 1/(2212)/sub 1/ and
(2245)/sub 1/(2201)/sub 1/, have been synthesized by
sequential sputter deposition of bismuth oxide,
strontium-copper-oxide and calcium-copper-oxide monolayers.
Crystal structures, superconducting transition temperatures
and hole concentration of the films were studied by X-ray
diffraction, Meissner effect and Hall effect measurements. It
was observed that the superconducting transition temperatures
were enhanced by forming superlattice films of overdoped
(2212, 2201) and underdoped (2234, 2245) phases. The results
can be understood by stress induced changes in the hole
concentration between the overdoped and the underdoped phases
originating from the epitaxial (lattice matching) formation of
the superlattice films. |
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Low-cost
combustion chemical vapor deposition of epitaxial buffer
layers and superconductors S.S.
Shoup, S. Shanmugham, D. Cousins, A.T. Hunt, M. Paranthaman,
A. Goyal, P. Martin and D.M. Kroeger
Summary:
A new low-cost, open-atmosphere deposition technique,
combustion chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) is used to deposit
epitaxial buffer layers and high-temperature superconductors
on oxide single-crystal substrates. The CCVD process has the
potential for manufacturing buffer layers and superconductors
onto textured metal substrates in a continuous reel-to-reel
production. CCVD does not use vacuum equipment or reaction
chambers required by conventional techniques, while its
coating quality rivals and even exceeds that of conventional
methods. Compounds being studied with the CCVD process include
the buffer layers cerium oxide (CeO/sub 2/), yttria stabilized
zirconia (YSZ), strontium titanate (SrTiO/sub 3/), lanthanum
aluminate (LaAlO/sub 3/), yttria (Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/), and
ytterbium oxide (Yb/sub 2/O/sub 3/) and two rare earth
superconductors, YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/, (YBCO) and
YbBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ (YbBCO). |
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Observation
of the Bi,Pb(2223) reaction mechanism and alternative ways of
producing tapes with new filament
configurations R. Flukiger, Y.
Huang, F. Marti, M. Dhalle, E. Giannini, R. Passerini, E.
Bellingeri, G. Grasso and J.-C. Grivel
Summary:
Investigations on the Bi,Pb(2223) phase formation
confirm a mechanism based on nucleation and growth. The same
mechanism was found to hold under various external conditions:
a) in pressed samples, b) in Ag sheathed tapes, c) in air or
in reduced oxygen partial pressure and d) with or without the
presence of Pb. A high temperature neutron diffraction
investigation on monofilamentary Bi,Pb(2223) tapes shows that
this phase remains stable during the cooling process after
reaction. On cooling, an enhancement of the Bi(2212) phase is
observed, which occurs at the expense of the other phases,
(Sr,Ca)/sub 14/Cu/sub 24/O/sub 41/ and Bi(2201). New tape
configurations are presented, in view of a) the reduction of
anisotropy (on both, tapes or wires) and b) the reduction of
AC losses. These configurations require the use of
nonconventional techniques, e.g. two-axis rolling and/or
periodic pressing. Using periodic pressing, j/sub c/(77K,0T)
values of 35,000 A/cm/sup 2/ have been obtained in Bi,Pb(2223)
multifilamentary tapes of lengths >2 m. |
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Critical
role of phase transformation during processing of Ag/Bi:2223
tapes S.X. Dou, R. Zeng, X.K. Fu,
Y.C. Guo, J. Horvat, H.K. Liu, T. Beales and M.
Apperley
Summary: Phase transformation during
the final stage of Ag/2223 tape processing has been
investigated through quenching and normal cooling in a
specially-designed two-step sintering process. It was found
that the phase assemblage in the final tape was determined by
the equilibrium composition at the sintering temperature and
also from any phase transformation which occurred on cooling.
A two-stage sintering procedure in the final thermal cycle was
found to be effective in transforming the liquid (or amorphous
phase) and residual 2201 into 2212 and 2223. However, the
annealing temperature during the final step was critical to
the final phase assemblage. The optimal annealing temperature
of the second step in the two-step process was around 825/spl
deg/C, where all the low T/sub c/ phases and impurities were
at a minimum. Annealing at temperatures below 810/spl deg/C,
resulted in a substantial increase in 3221, and a lower J/sub
c/. Annealing above 825/spl deg/C led to a large 2212 fraction
with a small amount of 2201 because of insufficient time
needed to convert these phases into 2223 on normal
cooling. |
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Structural
and compositional defects in high-J/sub c/ Bi-2223
tapes T.G. Holesinger, J.F.
Bingert, J.O. Willis, Qi Li, R.D. Parrella, M.D. Teplitsky,
M.W. Rupich and G.N. Riley Jr.
Summary: High
critical current density (J/sub c/) Bi-2223 multifilamentary
tapes (55 kA/cm/sup 2//spl les/J/sub c//spl les/70 kA/cm/sup
2/, 77 K and self-field) have been examined by transmission
electron microscopy. Filament microstructures within the tapes
consist of two distinct regions: a highly aligned, dense
colony structure (brick-wall) near the silver interface and a
porous, poorly-textured interior region (impurity channel)
that contains significantly more secondary phases.
Quantitative compositional analysis clearly showed a
heterogeneity in the Bi-2223 composition throughout the tapes.
Spatial variations in composition were especially prevalent in
the vicinity of secondary phases. Potential current limiting
microstructures or defects were categorized depending upon the
length scale at which they would operate. Macroscale defects
were defined as potentially limiting current flow between
regions of a filament. Mesoscale defects affect current flow
between adjoining colonies. And finally, microscale defects
were classified as potentially limiting current flow within a
colony structure. |
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Measurements
and modeling of microwave impedance of high-T/sub c/ grain
boundaries D.E. Oates, Y.M.
Habib, C.J. Lehner, L.R. Vale, R.H. Ono, G. Dresselhaus and
M.S. Dresselhaus
Summary: We present
measurements and modeling of the microwave frequency (RF)
power-dependent impedance of YBCO thin film grain boundaries.
The measurements were performed using a stripline resonator
technique that separates the characteristics of the grain
boundary from the rest of the film. The devices were
fabricated on sapphire bicrystal substrates with
misorientation angles varying from 2 to 24/spl deg/ and on
single crystals. Measurements of the DC I-V characteristics
were also performed. The RF measurements are presented as a
function of RF current (0.1 mA to 1 A) and temperature (6 to
70 K), Grain boundary angles of 10 and 24/spl deg/ show
Josephson junction behavior in the RF measurements, but at
angles of 5/spl deg/ or less the RF impedance is
indistinguishable from films grown on single crystal
substrates in contrast to DC measurements that show reduced
critical current for the 5/spl deg/ grain boundary. The
measured impedance of the large angles is compared with a long
junction model which fits the measured data qualitatively. The
measurements and modeling show the creation, annihilation, and
motion of Josephson vortices by RF currents which produce the
observed nonlinearities in the impedance. We also present
measurements of second harmonic generation. |
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Defects
in YBCO relevant for RF superconductivity: T-, f- and
H-dependencies E. Keskin, K.
Numssen and J. Halbritter
Summary: The
present understanding of intrinsic and extrinsic HTS
properties gained in the last years is applied to sintered and
epitaxially grown YBCO. As results, the mean free path l
increases rapidly below T/sub c/, whereas the weak links with
critical Josephson current j/sub CJ/(T) and leakage current
resistance R/sub bl/ describe R(T<0.8 T/sub c/, f, H) /spl
cong/R/sub res/(T, f, H) over seven orders of magnitude in
j/sub CJ/ with j/sub CJ/R/sub bl//sup 2//spl cong/10/sup -12/
A/spl Omega//sup 2/ cm/sup 2/. |
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Microwave
power handling capability of HTS superconducting thin films:
weak links and thermal effects induced
limitation J. Wosik, L.-M. Xie,
R. Grabovickic, T. Hogan and S.A. Long
Summary:
Microwave power-handling capabilities of YBCO thin
superconducting films, up to 150 W of the input power, have
been investigated using a 14 GHz shielded dielectric cavity.
The YBCO films were deposited by the thermal reactive
co-evaporation and the dc sputtering method on LaAlO/sub 3/,
NdGaO/sub 3/, and Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ substrates. A simple
nonlinear R(P)-L(P)-equivalent circuit model was used to
simulate a nonlinear cavity response. The correlation of
nonlinearity with global and local heating is discussed. The
analysis of experimental data confirms, that for all films,
the heating of weak links switched to normal state is one of
the rf power handling capability major
limitations. |
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Role
of oxygen pressure during deposition on the microwave
properties of YBCO films D.A.
Rudman, F.J.B. Stork, J.C. Booth, J.Y. Juang, L.R. Vale, G.J.
Beatty, C.I. Williams, J.A. Beall, R.H. Ono, S.B. Qadri, M.S.
Osofsky, E.F. Skelton, J.H. Claassen, G. Gibson, J.L.
MacManus-Driscoll, N. Maide and L.F. Cohen
Summary:
We have studied the effect of oxygen pressure (PO/sub
2/) during pulsed laser deposition on the properties of YBCO
films, with particular attention power microwave surface
resistance R/sub s/. Above a threshold oxygen pressure the
properties of the films are nearly independent of PO/sub 2/
during deposition and are typical of high quality YBCO films.
The films made below this threshold pressure have increased
disorder which produces a reduced T/sub c/ and an expanded
c-axis lattice parameter. However, these films also have
significantly reduced low temperature R/sub s/, which is
likely a direct result of the increased scattering in these
films. Preliminary Raman measurements show no increase in the
Y-Ba cation disorder in these low PO/sub 2/ films, so that
different disorder mechanism must be present. |
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Status
of Bi-2223 tapes performance and
development T. Kaneko, T. Hikata,
M. Ueyama, A. Mikumo, N. Ayai, S. Kobayashi, N. Saga, K.
Hayashi, K. Ohmatsu and K. Sato
Summary: We
are developing Bi-2223 superconducting tapes on a wide
viewpoint from fundamental superconducting property to
application usage. In basic characterization of
superconductivity, the behavior of critical current density
(J/sub c/) in terms of both temperature and magnetic field was
studied in detail and a new scaling law which can estimate the
value of J/sub c/ in multiple conditions is defined. There
were significant improvements in the long length fabricating
process. The 1 km order length tape having J/sub c/ at 77 K
over 20 kA/cm/sup 2/ can be produced reproducibly. The
distribution of J/sub c/ through the whole length is very
uniform. These results in both basic characterization and
production progress made it possible and easy to design a high
field magnet. Then, we have successfully developed a magnet
using a refrigerator. |
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HTS
wire at commercial performance
levels A.P. Malozemoff, W.
Carter, S. Fleshler, L. Fritzemeier, Q. Li, L. Masur, P.
Miles, D. Parker, R. Parrella, E. Podtburg, G.N. Riley Jr., M.
Rupich, J. Scudiere and W. Zhang
Summary:
Short rolled multifilamentary BSCCO-2223
oxide-powder-in-tube (OPIT) wire has reached a core critical
current density J/sub c/ over 73,000 A/cm/sup 2/ (77 K,
self-field, 1 /spl mu/V/cm) in multiple samples, with
engineering (full-cross-section) current density J/sub c/ of
22,800 A/cm/sup 2/ (77 K, self-field, 1 /spl mu/V/cm). Regular
production wires several hundred meters long show average
engineering current density over 10,000 A/cm/sup 2/ (77 K,
self-field, 1 /spl mu/V/cm), a benchmark for commercial
electric power applications such as cables and motors. Cost
studies indicate that cost-performance below $10/kA-m is
attainable for full-scale production levels, Next-generation
YBCO-123 coated conductor technology offers further potential
cost-performance improvements. |
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Advances
in fabrication of Ag-clad Bi-2223
superconductors U. Balachandran,
M. Lelovic, B.C. Prorok, N.G. Eror, V. Selvamanickam and P.
Haldar
Summary: Powder-in-tube (PIT)
processing was used to fabricate multifilamentary Ag-clad
Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/ (Bi-2223)
superconductors for various electric power applications. The
transport current properties of long lengths of multifilament
tapes were enhanced by increasing the packing density of the
precursor powder, improving the mechanical deformation, and
adjusting the cooling rate. The dependence of the critical
current density on magnetic field and temperature for the
optimally processed tapes was measured. J/sub c/ was
>10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 20 K in magnetic fields up to 3 T
and parallel to the c-axis, which is of interest for use in
refrigerator-cooled magnets. |
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Fabrication
and properties of Bi-2223
tapes B. Fischer, S. Kautz, M.
Leghissa, H.-W. Neumuller and T. Arndt
Summary:
Bi-2223 tapes in different variations represent a good
basis to build up prototypes for power applications. With
respect to these applications we produce 55 filament tapes of
lengths up to 600 m carrying currents of 57 A. A statistical
analysis confirms reproducibility and quality. In 1 m samples
the critical current density reaches 40 kA/cm/sup 2/. An
overview of the fabrication process of the tapes is given.
Besides the mechanical and microstructural properties of
different Ag/Ag-alloy tapes we present the current carrying
capability in different magnetic fields and at different
temperatures. Additionally the tapes are characterized
regarding to their AC losses. These tapes of long lengths are
used to fabricate power transmission cables, transformers and
motors. |
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Large-area
YBCO films on sapphire for microwave
applications R. Wordenweber, J.
Einfeld, R. Kutzner, A.G. Zaitsev, M.A. Hein, T. Kaiser and G.
Muller
Summary: Crack-free thick YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ films are prepared on CeO/sub 2/
buffered r-cut sapphire (2 inch in diameter) with thickness up
to 700 nm, smooth surfaces ('peak-to-valley' roughness <10
nm), high critical currents (J/sub c/>2 MA/cm/sup 2/ at 77
K and 0 T) and low microwave surface resistance (R/sub s/(77
K)/spl ap/1.4 m/spl Omega/ and R/sub s/(4.2 K)/spl ap/110 /spl
mu//spl Omega/ at 19 GHz), comparable to the best values
reported for YBCO films on structurally better matched
substrates. The improvement of the critical thickness of
YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ on structurally poorly matched
sapphire from typically d/sub c//spl ap/250-300 nm to d/sub
c/>700 nm is achieved by introducing defects which do not
hamper the superconducting properties of the films. The
modified film growth was reflected by slightly broadened
rocking curves and an altered temperature dependence of R/sub
s/. The thick YBCO films were able to handle high microwave
power corresponding to magnetic field amplitudes (B/sub HF/)
of at least 54 and 37 mT at 4.2 and 50 K (limited by the
available power), and 17 mT at 77 K (often limited by
quenches). The excellent high-power performance was achieved
without any degradation of the samples despite frequent
thermal cycling. |
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Tl/sub
2/Ba/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8/ and YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/
films on large area MgO and sapphire substrates for high power
microwave and rf
applications D.W. Face, F.M.
Pellicone, R.J. Small, L. Bao, M.S. Warrington and C.
Wilker
Summary: This paper describes recent
work at DuPont to extend the high power microwave performance
of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ and Tl/sub 2/Ba/sub 2/CaCu/sub
2/O/sub 8/ high T/sub c/ superconducting (HTS) films on 2 inch
diameter MgO and sapphire substrates. The YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7/ films were produced by in-situ off-axis sputtering
with radiant substrate heating. The Tl/sub 2/Ba/sub 2/CaCu/sub
2/O/sub 8/ films were produced by off-axis sputtering followed
by annealing in oxygen and Tl/sub 2/O vapor. The microwave
surface resistance and power handling of these films was
measured over a wide range of temperature (20 K to 85 K) using
an HTS-sapphire resonator technique. At 70 K, the surface
resistance of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ films on sapphire
remained below 250 /spl mu//spl Omega/ (@8.1 GHz) for
microwave surface current densities up to 1.7/spl times/10/sup
6/ A/cm/sup 2/. At 70 K, the surface resistance of Tl/sub
2/Ba/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8/ films on MgO remained below 230
/spl mu//spl Omega/ (@8.1 GHz) with microwave current
densities up to 2/spl times/10/sup 6/ A/cm/sup
2/. |
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Nb/sub
3/Sn films on sapphire. A promising alternative for
superconductive microwave
technology M. Perpeet, A.
Cassinese, M.A. Hein, T. Kaiser, G. Muller, H. Piel and J.
Pouryamout
Summary: Phase-pure, large grained
Nb/sub 3/Sn films on sapphire substrates have been prepared by
a two-step process. The average grain size increased with the
film thickness. Transport properties like the penetration
depth, mean free path, and critical current density have been
investigated in relation to the microstructure of the films.
Measurements of the DC- and HF-magnetic field dependent
surface impedance were performed. Nonlinear surface resistance
occurred at field levels above B/sub s/=25 mT, and was related
to extrinsic mechanisms. The relevance of weak coupling at
grain boundaries decreased with increasing grain size. Thus
heating at local defects was concluded to be the dominant
limiting mechanism in large grained films. An intrinsic field
limit of B/sub cl/=140 mT was found. The polycrystalline films
showed a much lower residual resistance and comparable power
handling compared to high-quality epitaxial YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 7-/spl delta//-films. |
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New
high-field Nb/sub 3/Sn conductors prepared from Ta-Sn compound
powder K. Tachikawa, S. Yamamoto,
T. Yokoyama and T. Kato
Summary: New Nb/sub
3/Sn conductors with excellent high-field performance have
been fabricated using Ta-Sn powder as a core material. The
powder was easily synthesized by the melt diffusion reaction
between Ta and Sn powders. The Ta-Sn powder was encased in a
Nb or Nb-Ta alloy sheath to form a composite. The composite
was fabricated into tape and wire specimens without
intermediate annealing. The specimens were then reacted at
800-925/spl deg/C in vacuum. After the reaction a thick Nb/sub
3/Sn layer, several tens of micrometers in thickness, is
formed between the sheath and the core. No void is formed in
the core after the reaction. Ta is incorporated into the
Nb/sub 3/Sn layer from both the core and the Nb-Ta sheath. The
J/sub c/ of the Nb/sub 3/Sn layer reaches 5 /spl times/10/sup
4/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 23 T and 4.2 K. The tape specimens show
large critical current at 23 T due to the large thickness of
the Nb/sub 3/Sn layer. The optimum reaction temperature can be
decreased by the small amount of Cu addition. |
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Development
of Nb/sub 3/Sn superconductors for a 1 GHz NMR magnet.
Dependence of high-field characteristics on tin content in
bronze matrix T. Miyazaki, Y.
Murakami, T. Hase, M. Shimada, K. Itoh, T. Kiyoshi, T.
Takeuchi, K. Inoue and H. Wada
Summary: To
realize a 1 GHz NMR magnet, superconducting properties such as
critical current density (J/sub c/) and n-value are
fundamental for conductors. J/sub c/ improvements of 15% to
27% have been observed in the conductor with
Cu-15wt.%Sn-0.3wt.%Ti matrix compared with J/sub c/ in a
conductor with Cu-13.wt%Sn-0.3wt.%Ti matrix. In contrast to
J/sub c/, differences in n-values between conductors have not
appeared. In this study, systematic analysis for dependence of
J/sub c/ and n-value in the high field region on Sn content
over 13wt.% in bronze was examined based on the
microstructures, i.e. the amount of reacted layer, grain size
of Nb/sub 3/Sn, and upper critical field (H/sub c2/) supported
with stoichiometric analyses. |
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Niobium-tin
for fusion, high energy physics and other
applications T. Pyon and E.
Gregory
Summary: If internal-tin conductors
are to be used to their best advantage they should be designed
for a specific application. Some applications emphasize the
current density almost exclusively while others require a
combination of properties where hysteresis losses are low
while the J/sub c/ is maintained at as high a level as
possible. Absence of flux jumps and instabilities is always
desirable but more difficult to maintain as the J/sub c/ is
raised. The progress made by the authors recently in the
production of material for fusion, high energy physics (HEP)
and other applications is described. Materials with J/sub c/s
above 900 A/mm/sup 2/ at 12 T and losses below 200 mJ/cm/sup
3/ (/spl plusmn/3 T cycle) in the non-Cu area, have been made
for fusion applications. Instabilities previously reported in
material with higher J/sub c/s have been reduced so that more
stable materials with high J/sub c/s over 2,000 A/mm/sup 2/ at
12 T have been manufactured. Recent properties in this higher
J/sub c/ area are reported. |
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Critical
current and n-value of Nb/sub 3/Sn conductors for the wide
bore 900 MHz NMR magnet I.R.
Dixon, W.D. Markiewicz, K.W. Pickard and C.A.
Swenson
Summary: Electrical characterization
of Nb/sub 3/Sn superconductor for application in a 900 MHz
wide bore NMR magnet is performed. The magnet has five coils
containing bronze process niobium-tin superconductor. Short
samples of each of the five conductor types are reacted in a
similar manner as the coils and the critical currents are
measured. The samples are mounted across a Ti-6Al-4V shunt and
the tests are conducted in background fields up to 19.45 T and
at temperatures of 4.2 K and 1.8 K. Descriptions of the
superconductor configurations and experimental procedure are
given. The measured critical current and the current-voltage
relationship of each conductor as expressed by the index
number (n-value) are presented. |
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Variable-temperature
transport critical currents of niobium-tin wires under strain
in high magnetic fields N.
Cheggour and D.P. Hampshire
Summary: A new
probe has been developed to investigate the effect of strain
and temperature on the transport critical current density of
superconducting wires and tapes in high magnetic fields. The
critical current of a multifilamentary niobium-tin wire has
been measured as a function of magnetic field at 12 K, for
both compressive and tensile strain. The ability to
simultaneously vary strain, temperature and field facilitates
a better understanding of how these parameters affect flux
pinning mechanisms. From a technological point of view, these
measurements provide essential design data for developing
cryocooled high magnetic field systems. |
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Improved
J/sub c/ of multifilamentary Bi,Pb(2223)/Ag tapes by periodic
pressing F. Marti, Y.B. Huang, G.
Witz, R. Passerini, M. Dhalle, E. Giannini, E. Bellingeri, E.
Walker, R. Flukiger and G. Grasso
Summary:
Critical current densities of multifilamentary
Ag-sheathed Bi(2223) tapes up to about 35 000 A/cm/sup 2/ have
been achieved at 77 K and self field for lengths of several
meters using an improved route: periodic pressing. This
corresponds to an increase by 30-40% compared to the values
obtained for conventionally rolled tapes starting from the
same powders. Several pressing steps have been introduced
during the anneal instead of the only standard rolling step
(based on previous studies performed on both mono- and
multifilamentary tapes). In contrast to earlier attempts by
pressing techniques, periodic pressing is a practical and
scaleable process for the fabrication of long lengths of
Bi(2223) conductor as the standard intermediate rolling step.
Engineering critical current densities of 8 000 A/cm/sup 2/
have successfully been obtained for tapes with high filling
factor (35%). |
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Processing
and characterisation of long-length silver/bismuth-2223 tape
for electric power
applications M.H. Apperley, F.
Darmann, G. McCaughey, R. Zhao and T.P.
Beales
Summary: The potential of high
temperature superconductivity (HTS) to raise efficiencies in
electric power utilisation is dependent on the availability of
HTS materials in a form which can be engineered into devices.
This paper reviews a program of continuous process and product
improvement which has enabled tape with lengths up to 1000 m
and appropriate engineering properties to be reproducibly
processed using the powder-in-tube technique. Underpinning
this development of a large scale process capability, tape
development on a small scale was necessary in the areas of
innovative tape design, metal forming optimisation and heat
treatment. In addition, techniques for the characterisation of
long lengths of tape were developed. These techniques included
the modelling of the effect of the self-field generated by the
tape under test at 77 K to enable zero field Ic data to be
determined. |
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Influence
of rolling pressure on microstructures and current path
evolution in Ag-sheathed Bi2223 monocore
tapes A. Oota and K.
Kawano
Summary: The influence of rolling
pressure on microstructures and current transports has been
investigated on Ag-sheathed Bi2223 monocore tapes, fabricated
by a rolling process while changing mechanical load (i.e.,
rolling pressure). In combination with metallurgical studies,
analyses on trapped-magnetic fields in a remanent state by a
scanning Hall sensor show the evolution in transport current
paths in the superconductor core, and also reveal critical
current distributions therein. Enhancement of transport
critical current density J/sub c/ at 77 K and 0 T with an
increase in rolling pressure P up to /spl sim/0.3 GPa is
ascribed to the evolution in transport current paths due to
strengthening grain connectivity. Degradation in J/sub c/ with
a further increase in P exceeding 0.3 GPa is caused by the
occurrence of a sausaging effect. An optimum value of P is
determined by a competition between strengthening grain
connectivity and the occurrence of the sausaging effect.
Numerical calculations on magnetic profiles give a variation
of current capacity along a width direction in the core, so
the local J/sub c/ value at the edge is 4-5 times greater than
the value at the center. |
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The
influence of heating temperature on the superconducting
properties of silver-gold sheathed Bi-2223 tapes destined for
power applications W. Zhu, D.
Willen, D.R. Watson and J. Cave
Summary: For
power engineering applications using HTS conductors,
long-length Ag-Au sheathed Bi-2223 tapes are being developed.
By a continuous fabrication process (rolling), tapes with
J/sub c/ up to 20 000 A cm/sup -2/ (77 K, 0 T) have fabricated
using the powder in tube method. The tapes were heat treated
in the temperature range of 805-835/spl deg/C in an atmosphere
of 8% oxygen in nitrogen. The influence of temperature and
time on the evolution of the superconducting properties is
investigated by means of electric transport current
measurements (I/sub c/ and its distribution). Phase
development at different processing stages is examined by XRD.
The microstructure and phase assemblage at different heating
temperatures are characterized with SEM/EDX. The critical
current distribution in the tapes is studied by analyzing the
second differential of the V-I curves and the effects of
cracks and secondary phases are discussed. |
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Fabrication
and characterisation of superconducting Bi-2223/Ag tapes with
high critical current densities in km
lengths Z. Han, P. Bodin, W.G.
Wang, M.D. Bentzon, P. Skov-Hansen, J. Goul and P.
Vase
Summary: Long length Bi-2223/Ag tapes
with high critical current densities are needed for
large-scale applications. In this paper, recent results from
NST are being presented, describing recent results reaching
critical current densities of 23 kA/cm/sup 2/ and engineering
critical current densities of 5.2 kA/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K over
the whole length of a 1250 metre long Bi-2223/Ag tape. To our
knowledge this is the highest critical current density
reported for Bi-2223/Ag tapes longer than 1 km. The approach
for improving the homogeneity and the considerations of
processing and handling the long length tape are presented.
Various Ag alloy sheathed Bi-2223 tapes have been made by our
standard production line. The properties of these tapes are
compared. |
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Effect
of V, Ir-doping on the J/sub c/ properties of Bi2223
tapes H. Maeda, K. Kakimoto, M.
Kikuchi, K. Watanabe, Y. Tanaka and H.
Kumakura
Summary: We prepared Ag-sheathed
mono-core tapes and multifilamentary tapes with 19 filaments
by the powder-in-tube method, using V- and Ir-doped Bi2223
powder with a doping amount x less than 0.15. In the doped
tapes two effects are overlapped: One is the decrease in J/sub
c/ due to some weak links caused by precipitates such as
Sr-V-O oxides, and the other is the increase in J/sub c/ with
the doping content due to the enhancement of Bi2223 phase
formation. This results in a minimum in J/sub c/ at x=0.05.
The second effect becomes stronger in the V-doping, because of
the great enhancement of Bi2223 phase formation. In the
Ir-doped tapes the J/sub c/ values decrease monotonically with
the doping content. For the multifilamentary tapes the
V-doping is very effective to obtain high I/sub c/
values. |
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Phase
stability and grain growth in an Ag/Bi-2223 composite
conductor prepared using fine-grained Bi-2223 as a
precursor N.N. Merchant, D.J.
Miller, V.A. Maroni, R.D. Parrella, Q. Li, M.W. Rupich, W.L.
Carter and G.N. Riley Jr.
Summary: We have
investigated the stability and microstructural
transformability of the Bi-2223 phase in a silver-sheathed
monofilament composite tape fabricated using fine grained
Bi/sub 1.7/Pb/sub 0.3/Sr/sub 1.9/Ca/sub 2.0/Cu/sub 3.0/O/sub
y/ (Bi-2223) as the precursor powder. The fully formed Bi-2223
precursor was prepared using established procedures. The
purpose of this study was to explore the prospects for growing
textured, large-grain-size Bi-2223 from the fine-grained
precursor by process parameter perturbations. These
perturbations included thermal ramp up variations, programmed
heat treatment temperature and oxygen pressure fluctuations,
and parameter manipulations during cool-down. Our results show
that the types of heat treatments used in conventional
oxide-powder-in-tube (OPIT) processing do not facilitate
Bi-2223 grain growth when the precursor powder is preconverted
Bi-2223. We also observed that the Bi-2223 partially
decomposed during conventional thermal ramp-up in 0.075 atm
O/sub 2/, but that this decomposition can be inhibited by
ramping up in a reduced oxygen pressure. A pathway was found
for back-reacting the fine-grained Bi-2223 (to Bi-2212,
Bi-2201 and nonsuperconducting secondary phases), then
reforming large-grained Bi-2223 in a colony microstructure
having some distinct differences from that produced during
conventional OPIT processing. |
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Proposal
of new type Ag-BSCCO tapes and wires with low
losses F. Sumiyoshi, R.
Kinoshita, Y. Miyazono, A.M. Campbell and K.
Ohmatsu
Summary: In order to get Ag-BSCCO
tapes or wires with small losses, we propose a new fabrication
technique named the 'wrapping method.' This is not only an
alternative technique for fabrication of tapes and wires with
very small twist pitches and well-aligned filaments instead of
the conventional twisting process but also a new method of
producing tapes and wires with transposed filaments.
Especially for the latter, it Is theoretically confirmed that
a uniform distribution of transport currents in the new
two-layered multifilamentary wire can be easily obtained by
optimizing wire parameters. As a result transport current
produced hysteresis losses can be reduced to the desired level
in the multi-layered wire with transposed
filaments. |
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Development
of Ag sheathed Bi-2223 multifilamentary tapes with MgO coated
filaments V. Lennikov, H.
Caudevilla, L.A. Angurel, G.F. de la Fuente and R.
Navarro
Summary: A dip-coating process to
obtain controlled, uniform coatings on silver sheathed Bi-2223
wires suitable for the fabrication of multifilamentary tapes
is reported. Tapes with continuous fully connected MgO
resistive barrier layers 1 to 17 /spl mu/m thick have been
produced and characterized. The correlation between their
microstructure, electric transport and magnetic properties has
been analyzed. An effective reduction of the interfilamentary
coupling with a minimum degradation of the tape performance
has been obtained for 1 to 3 /spl mu/m thick barrier
layers. |
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Comparison
of magnetic field profiles of Ag/BSCCO-2223 tapes carrying AC
and DC currents E.C.L. Chesneau,
B.A. Glowacki, J. Kvitkovic, M. Majoros, K. van Beek and M.
Konczykowski
Summary: The magnetic field
profiles above Ag/BSCCO-2223 tapes of multifilamentary and
multilayer configurations, whilst carrying transport currents,
are compared with those predicted from their AC losses. These
tapes show AC losses which follow the critical state equation
for losses in a conductor of elliptical cross-section and
therefore the magnetic field above the tapes during a current
cycle can be predicted. We compare these predicted profiles
with Hall probe measurements made when the tapes are carrying
both AC and DC transport currents and with magneto-optical
images. |
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Numerical
analysis of AC loss in high T/sub c/ twisted tape carrying AC
transport current in external AC magnetic field. Effect of
twisting on loss reduction N.
Banno and N. Amemiya
Summary: The effect of
twisting in BSCCO tapes on the loss reduction is discussed by
a numerical analysis using the finite element method. The
optimal twist pitch giving the lowest loss for the tape
carrying the AC current under the AC magnetic field is
presented. The numerical analysis takes the smooth E-j
characteristics, the twisted structure and the dynamic
resistivity into account, which allows more accurate loss
estimations. For the BSCCO tape with a typical dimension of 3
mm/spl times/0.2 mm, the optimal twist pitch is around 10 mm,
when it is carrying the AC transport current with normalized
amplitude I/sub t//I/sub c/=0.8, under the parallel magnetic
field to the tape face. |
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Penetration
loss in BSCCO tape without transport
current N. Banno, N. Amemiya, A.
Mihoichi, M. Ciszek, H. Mukai and K.
Ohmatsu
Summary: A penetration loss formula
for superconducting tapes has been derived in our previous
work. In this paper, the orientation of the magnetic field is
considered in the formula. This formula includes the E-j
characteristics represented with a power law and the magnetic
field dependence of the critical current density. The
analytical estimations with the formula are compared with
experimental results on the magnetization loss for a BSCCO
tape with no transport current for several field orientations.
The losses estimated by this formula agree well with the
experimental results, when the magnetic field is applied
parallel or perpendicular to the tape face. For the magnetic
field with another field orientation, the experimental results
are smaller than the analytical predications, because of the
demagnetizing effect. |
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Hysteresis
loss in a superconducting Bi-2223 tape with fine
filaments E.S. Otabe, T.
Matsushita, J. Fujikami and K. Ohmatsu
Summary:
The energy loss density was measured for a Bi-2223 tape
wire with superconducting filaments of average thickness 2.5
/spl mu/m to confirm the reduction of energy loss density due
to the reversible fluxoid motion. The energy loss density is
compared with the prediction by the modified Kim model. It is
lower than the prediction at AC field amplitudes below the
penetration field at temperatures above 77 K. The slope of the
minor magnetization curve is less than unity and the estimated
AC penetration depth is longer than the filament thickness in
the same regime. This result supports the speculation that the
reduction of the energy loss density is due to the reversible
fluxoid motion. |
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The
influence of precursor preparation on the superconducting
properties of Bi(2223) tapes A.
Polasek, S.K. Xia, M.B. Lisboa, M.A. Sens, E.T. Serra, F.
Rizzo and H. Borges
Summary: The effect of
preparation of precursor powders on the formation of Bi-2223
phase and critical current density (J/sub c/) of OPIT tapes,
was studied. The precursors were prepared by "one-powder" and
"two-powder" methods. The results indicate that a sufficiently
large fraction of second phases in the precursors is crucial
for obtaining pure 2223 phase and high J/sub c/ values. It is
also revealed that the (Sr,Ca)/sub 2/CuO/sub 3/ second phase
promotes a faster phase transformation of 2212 to 2223 than
other second phases in the precursors. Tapes prepared with
"one-powder" precursor achieved J/sub c/ of 25.5 kA/cm/sup 2/,
while the J/sub c/ for the tapes made from "two-powder"
precursors had values of about 12 kA/cm/sup 2/. |
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Influence
of process parameters in drawing of superconducting
wire M. Malberg, J. Bech, N. Bay,
P. Skov-Hansen and G. Cualbu
Summary:
Superconducting wire is often produced by the
powder-in-tube method involving a number of different
mechanical processes, among these is multi-step drawing
operations of single filament wire. A silver tube is filled
with ceramic powder (BiSrCaCuO). This composite is drawn in up
to 100 steps, from an initial diameter of 20 mm to the final
one of 1 mm. The present paper shows how two of the main
parameters, the reduction and the semi-die angle, influences
the drawing stress and the powder compaction of the single
filament wire during drawing. The optimum die angle and the
largest acceptable reduction per drawing step are determined.
In powder compaction tests a linear relationship between
microhardness and powder density is determined. This
relationship is applied for determination of the density
distribution in the cross section of drawn single filament
wire. It is found that the drawing process causes an increase
of the powder compaction near the interface between the silver
and powder, whereas the density increase near the centre axis
of the tube is smaller. The average density determined in this
way corresponds well with the one determined by geometrical
measurements. |
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Bi-2223
precursor billets for PIT wire
production T. Yamashita, J.A.
Alarco, A.J. Ilyushechkin, K. Tomlins and P.
Talbot
Summary: High temperature
superconductor precursor billets (feed rods) have been
developed for loading into silver tubes. The billets are
loaded prior to rolling or drawing operations in PIT wire
manufacture. Investigations have shown that wires and tapes
prepared from feed rod loaded tubes show enhanced uniformity
of electrical transport properties when compared with
conventional powder packing, especially in wires drawn to long
lengths. Analysis on production feed rods have shown carbon
content to be as low as 110 ppm. |
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Critical
current density of Bi-2223/Ag multifilamentary tapes from 4.2
K up to 90 K in magnetic fields up to 23
T A.B. Sneary, C.M. Friend, J.C.
Vallier and D.P. Hampshire
Summary: The
transport critical current density of a 37 filament Bi-2223/Ag
tape has been measured as a function of field at temperatures
from 4.2 K up to 90 K. Measurements have been made with the
tape in three orientations with respect to field. Data have
been obtained over a large range of current from 10 mA to 100
A (i.e. four orders of magnitude) and a large range of applied
fields up to 23 T. The J/sub c/ values have been fitted to the
exponential form J/sub c/=/spl alpha/(T)exp[-B//spl beta/(T)]
and compared to data in the literature. The comprehensive
measurements presented in this paper can be used to test the
predictions from the many mechanisms that have been proposed
to explain J/sub c/ in Bi-2223/Ag tapes. |
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Preparation
of Ag-sheathed Bi(2223) tapes for magnet
applications G. Grasso, A.S.
Siri, F. Marti and R. Flukiger
Summary:
Ag-sheathed (Bi,Pb)/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 10/ tapes have been developed with a special filament
configuration that could be of great interest when a magnetic
field is applied to the tape at a significant angle with
respect to the a-b planes of the superconductor. The
fabrication process we propose allows the preparation of
multifilamentary samples in which the filaments are inclined
with respect to the tape plane. Such tapes could be used in
the outer parts of high field superconducting magnets, where
the flux lines present large angles with respect to the plane
of the conductor. |
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Effects
of intermediate deformation and thermal processing in the OPIT
process upon critical current density of Ag/BiSSCO
tapes V. Beilin, A. Goldgirsh, E.
Yashchin, M. Roth and M. Schieber
Summary:
Critical current density, J/sub c/, of Ag/Bi(Pb)SCCO
tapes in as-deformed and as-sintered states were studied at
different stages of tape processing. Intermediate pressing and
rolling result in significant I/sub c/ degradation. Non-zero
I/sub c/ remains after the applications of pressing load up to
11 and 8 GPa following the third and first sintering,
respectively. Under rolling conditions I/sub c/ remains
non-zero up to maximum tape thickness reduction of 20%.
Bending tests show that I/sub c/ reduction is the result of
deformation-induced micro-crack formation which are easily
healed during the first hour of the next sintering.
Intermediate deformation after the first sintering cycle has
been shown to accelerate significantly the 2212 to 2223 phase
transformation during the first hours of the second sintering
step. I/sub c/ growth during the first hour of the second
sintering cycle is not connected with that phase
transformation and is presumed to be the result of pinning
ability and structure connectivity enhancement. |
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Development
of Bi-2223/Ag-alloy tapes L.
Bigoni, F. Barberis, R. Berti, F. Curcio, M. Donati, P. La
Cascia, L. Martini and V. Ottoboni
Summary:
The reliable fabrication of robust, uniform, long
length silver-sheathed Bi-2223 superconductor tapes capable of
carrying high current densities represents a key factor
towards the development of windings to be integrated in
electric power devices. Bi-2223 tapes to be used for the
fabrication of coils with a silver alloy sheath having 19 and
55 filaments in unit length of 100 meters have been fabricated
by the Powder-In-Tube method. The critical current density
enhancement of Bi-2223 tapes by means of the optimisation of
mechanical deformation and thermal treatment parameters is
here presented. The realised Bi-2223 tapes have been deeply
characterised by DC and AC measurements at different
temperatures. To evaluate the capabilities of the
multifilamentary tapes in the realisation of coils their
electrical behaviour as a function of magnetic field and
bending strain has been investigated. |
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Synthesis
of bismuth-strontium-calcium-copper oxide powders for silver
composite wires with uniform micron sized
filaments S. Sengupta, E.
Caprino, K. Card, J.R. Gaines Jr., L.R. Motowidlo, R.S.
Sokolowski, R.R. Garcia and S.M.
Mukhopadyay
Summary: A chemical precipitation
method is utilized to synthesize
bismuth-strontium-calcium-copper oxide powder. Tetra-methyl
ammonium hydroxide and tetra-methyl ammonium carbonate are
used as a precipitant and for pH adjustment. Effect of
processing parameters like carbonization time, and cation
solution concentration on Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub
8/ (Bi-2212) powders is reported. Powders with different
particle size and distribution are used to fabricate Ag
sheathed multifilamentary Bi-2212 round wires with diameter
about 0.06 cm (corresponding to filament diameter about 3 /spl
mu/m). Significant sausaging was observed for wires processed
with larger particle size powders. Good filament uniformity
was observed for wires produced from finer
powders. |
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Development
of long length Bi-based/Ag tapes and experimental
magnets R. Zeng, H.K. Liu, T.P.
Beales and S.X. Dou
Summary: Long lengths of
multifilamentary superconducting (BiPb)/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 10/ (Bi-2223)/Ag tapes up to 250 m made with
"powder-in-tube" (PIT) process have been successfully prepared
on a laboratory scale. Reproducible critical current density
of between 12,000-18,000 A/cm/sup 2/ in the long length tapes
have been achieved using the optimal reduction in flat-rolling
procedure and standard flat-rolling method as the intermediate
deformation between sintering periods. Several coils have been
fabricated from sections of the long length tape, using the
co-wound react-and-wind (R&W) procedure for double
pancake-shaped coils and wind-and-react (W&R) procedure
for solenoidal pancake shaped coils. Each coil was fabricated
by co-wounding three tapes on 30 mm-diameter mandrel. An
experimental magnet was designed and constructed by stacking
together coils. Dimensions and parameters of this magnet are
as follows: height, 105 mm; winding ID, 32 mm; OD, 120 mm;
total number of turns, 1068. Total conductor length in the
magnet was /spl sim/870 m. The coils were connected in series
and then tested at 77 K. The field constant at mid-plane of
the magnet, determined by introducing a Hall probe in the bore
of the magnet, was /spl sim/105 Gs/A and it generated 0.24 T
magnetic field at 77 K. A detailed investigation of the J/sub
c/-B properties and J/sub c/-strain characteristic of the
Bi-2223 tapes as designing parameters and properties of the
test magnet have been carried out. |
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Critical
current and magnetic field performance of Bi-2223/Ag composite
superconducting tapes N.
Savvides, A. Katsaros, A. Thorley, J. Herrmann, G. McCaughey,
R. Zhao, F. Darmann and M. Apperley
Summary:
We report measurements of the electrical transport
properties of ((BiPb)/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub
10/-Ag) Bi-2223/Ag composite conductors produced as part of
the long-length product development in an industrial plant.
The powder-in-tube (PIT) process was used to manufacture
conductors containing various filament configurations
including monofilament and multifilament tapes with untwisted
and twisted filaments, and round wires. The transport critical
current I/sub c/ was measured at various temperatures (T=4-80
K) and magnetic fields (B=0-9 T) for different orientations of
the tapes with respect to the field. Self-field transport ac
losses were determined at 77 K and 60 Hz as a function of ac
current amplitude (0-100 A rms). The strain performance was
evaluated at 77 K for applied bend strains from zero to
1.5%. |
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High
critical current Ag and Ag alloy sheathed multifilament
Bi-2223 tapes W.G. Wang, Z. Han,
P. Skov-Hansen, J. Goul, M.D. Bentzon, P. Vase and Y.-L.
Liu
Summary: Ag sheathed (BiPb/sub 2/)Sr/sub
2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 10/ (Bi-2223) multifilament tapes
with filament numbers of 19, 37, 55, and 85 were produced by
the powder-in-tube method. Enhanced tape performance has been
achieved by optimisation of the processing conditions. Key
factors are addressed that include elimination of the 2212
phase, improving grain connectivity through reducing the 2201
phase and alkaline earth cuprate phases, increasing
superconductor core density as well as enhancing current
contribution from edge filaments. A high J/sub c/ of 50
kA/cm/sup 2/ with an I/sub c/ of 42 A has been achieved
reproducibly in 19 filament tapes with dimensions of 0.16/spl
times/2.8 mm/sup 2/ and silver/superconductor ratios of 4.4:1.
By reducing the silver ratio, a J/sub e/ of 14 kA/cm/sup 2/
with an I/sub c/ of 48 A has been obtained in 55 filament
tapes and an I/sub c/ of 84 A has been obtained in a tape with
dimensions of 4/spl times/0.23 mm/sup 2/. A record J/sub c/ of
more than 30 kA/cm/sup 2/ with an I/sub c/ of 32 A was
achieved in 250 metres long standard tapes. A 1250 m long pure
Ag sheathed tape and an 1100 m long Ag alloyed tape have been
produced with a J/sub c/ of higher than 25 kA/cm/sup 2/ by
using optimised process parameters. |
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Stresses
and strains in multi-filament HTS
tapes P. Skov-Hansen, Z. Han and
J.I. Bech
Summary: High temperature
superconducting tapes are now commercially available for
practical applications such as magnets and cables. However,
still today the published data on strength and allowable
deformation limits of these tapes are not altogether in
agreement. Definitions and concepts with regards to the
stresses and strains in HTS tapes under deformation are
discussed in this paper and criterions for use by the industry
are presented. When handling HTS tapes it is necessary to know
the limiting values of loading, bending and twisting to avoid
damage. Damage is commonly defined as degradation of the
current carrying capabilities. Most serious is crack formation
in the BSCCO material, this will take place when stress
concentrations exceed a certain value. Values from 0.2% to
0.5% total tensile strain in the ceramic core is quoted as the
deformation limit for HTS tapes where cracks are appearing.
The stress/strain situation in a HTS tape with BSCCO cores in
a metallic matrix is discussed and experimental results are
presented. Damaging strains are found and compared with
results from literature. Curves of the limiting values for
bending, tension and torsion are shown as well as the
influence of these deformations on I/sub c/
values. |
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Thermal
cycling, critical current vs. strain, and finite element
modelling of 1, 7, 19 and 37 filament Ag/Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O (BSCCO)
tapes O.O. Oduleye, S.J. Penn,
N.McN. Alford, L.L. Lay and T. Beales
Summary:
Transport critical current, I/sub c/, distribution
measurements, thermal cycling experiments and critical current
vs. strain (I/sub c/ vs. /spl epsiv/) experiments were carried
out on silver clad 1, 7, 19 and 37 filament Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O
(BSCCO) tapes. The transport critical current distribution of
silver clad Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O tapes are measured using a
measurement system capable of making 10 /spl mu/m steps along
120 mm long tapes. The tapes are subjected to thermal cycling
and repeat measurements of the I/sub c/ are made. The critical
current vs. strain experiments are carried out by centre point
loading of the tapes. Elastic-Plastic Finite Element Modelling
(FEM) of a monocore tape is carried out. Our analyses show the
variation of the transverse stress, /spl sigma//sub yy/,
across the width of the tape. |
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The
influence of processing parameters and tensile stresses on the
properties of Bi-2223 tapes with Ag and AgMn
sheaths K. Fischer, T. Fahr, U.
Schlafer, C. Rodig, P. Trinks, M. Schubert, P. Verges and H.
Klauss
Summary: Multifilamentary Bi-2223
tapes with an inner Ag sheath immediately surrounding the
filaments and an outer AgMn sheath containing 0.06-0.4 wt.% Mn
have been fabricated by using the oxide-powder-in-tube
technique. In some cases the filaments were additionally
surrounded by a second AgPdAu sheath. The forming parameters
employed to the rolling of the tapes and consequently the
density evolution of the filaments during rolling were
optimized aiming to avoid filament sausaging and at the same
time to provide a high filament density in tapes of the final
dimensions. After the parameters of the thermomechanical
treatment were optimized too, similar values of the critical
current densities could be achieved for tapes with a
Ag/Ag-alloy sheath as for those with a pure Ag sheath. J/sub
c/ values above 20 kA/cm/sup 2/ (77 K, 0 T) were measured on
tapes over the whole length of 300 m. The tolerable tensile
stresses and strains employable to conductors at room
temperature without causing essential J/sub c/ degradation at
77 K were determined to /spl sigma//spl ap/90-110 MPa and /spl
epsiv/=0.2% for tapes with an outer Ag-0.15 wt.% Mn
sheath. |
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Theoretical
study on vortex glass-liquid transition in pinned
superconductors T. Matsushita and
T. Kiss
Summary: The vortex glass-liquid
transition in pinned superconductors is studied theoretically
from the viewpoint of thermal depinning of flux lines. It is
clarified that this depinning phenomenon is a transition of
the second order. This result is consistent with the fact that
the scaling of the current-voltage curves is well explained by
the theoretical model of flux creep and flow. It is also found
that the degree of disorder of the flux line lattice decreases
abruptly with elevating temperature above the transition
temperature. This agrees qualitatively with the observation of
flux lines using a Lorentz microscope. |
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Determination
of vortex motion characteristics, effective thickness and
dynamic resistance in very thin YBaCuO bilayer
structures M. Pannetier, P.
Bernstein, P. Lecoeur, O. Riou, T.D. Doan and J.F.
Hamet
Summary: In order to develop
superconducting flux flow devices, we have measured the
electrical characteristics of microbridges made from bilayers
comprised of a conductive capping layer deposited on a very
thin YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// film. In the flux
creep regime, these structures show a low and quasi-constant
depinning-to-critical current ratio and a high maximum vortex
velocity. As expected from these features, the microbridges
can be driven in the flux flow regime in the vicinity of T/sub
c/. In the flux flow regime, surprisingly, the dynamic
resistance is not an increasing function of temperature and
shows a value which is in the range of the normal-state
resistance at the onset of the superconductive
transition. |
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An
efficient AC susceptibility technique to study flux creep in
HTS thin films B.J. Jonsson and
K.V. Rao
Summary: The temperature and field
dependent dynamical relaxation rate Q(T,H) has been determined
for epitaxial c-axis oriented YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/
(Y-123) and HgBa/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub x/ (Hg-1212) thin
films using an efficient ac susceptibility technique. From a
single temperature scan, in which consecutive measurements of
/spl chi/' are performed at a number of frequencies in a
relatively large ac field H/sub ac/, the frequency dependence
of the critical current density J/sub c/(T,H/sub ac/,f) is
determined as a function of temperature and ac field and
Q(T,H/sub ac/) is subsequently extracted. From measurements of
/spl chi/'(H/sub ac/,f) in a slowly ramped dc bias field, both
the ac and dc field dependence of Q(T,H) can be studied.
Q(T,H) for a Hg-1212 thin film is found to be independent of
the ac field when the dc bias field fulfils H/sub
dc/>2H/sub ac/. Compared to conventional magnetic
relaxation, M-H loop recording and traditional ac
susceptibility techniques, our ac susceptibility method is
found to yield a considerably larger amount of information for
a given measuring time. The ac susceptibility technique is
found to reproduce the characteristic plateau-like temperature
dependence of the relaxation rate for the Y-123 system. The
relaxation rate for the Hg-1212 thin film shows a monotonic
increase with temperature up to a maximum at about 95 K. Both
films exhibit quantum creep of about Q(0)=0.01 in the field
range studied. |
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Anderson
theory of flux-creep in the presence of a pinning strength
distribution for the washboard-type
potential A.N.
Lykov
Summary: Anderson theory is modified to
explain the scaling behavior of the E-J curves, the
logarithmic dependence of the potential barrier as a function
of the transport current, the decrease of the barrier as the
temperature goes to zero, and other results of the studies of
flux creep in high-T/sub c/ superconductors. Moreover, the
method provides the possibility of estimating the main pinning
parameters of superconductors by fitting the calculated and
experimental data. |
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Nonlinear
I/spl sim/V characteristic and magnetic relaxation in
high-T/sub c/ superconductors W.
Bai, G. Li, H. Chen, D. Yin, G. Lu, K. Chen and C.
Li
Summary: Large-scale applications of
high-temperature superconductors require large critical
current density J/sub c/. The limit of utilization is
determined by the practical resistivity criterion and the
current voltage characteristic of a superconductor which is
highly nonlinear in these materials. Various models with
different barrier-current dependencies U(J) have been
developed to describe the flux motion in them but questions
still remain. We show that these models may be unified to a
general materials equation which gives a consistent
description of different regimes of flux motion. We compare
this equation with recent pertinent experiments and find fair
agreements. |
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Current-voltage
characteristics of melt-textured YBCO obtained from the
field-sweep rate dependence of
magnetization H. Yamasaki and Y.
Mawatari
Summary: We investigated
current-voltage (I-V) characteristics in melt-textured YBCO
sheets by measuring the field-sweep rate /spl beta/ dependence
of magnetization M. We used a previously developed method that
corrects for the current density distribution in the specimen
[Y. Mawatari et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 70, 2300 (1997)].
For a wide temperature and field range (60-80 K, 0.2-5.0 T)
the I-V curves followed a power-law behavior that often has
been observed in high-T/sub c/ superconductors. We also
investigated the relaxation of magnetization, flux creep. The
time dependence of M also followed a power-law behavior, which
was as expected because of the power-law I-V
characteristics. |
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Critical
current of YBCO grain boundaries in large magnetic
fields D.T. Verebelyi, C.
Prouteau, R. Feenstra and D.K. Christen
Summary:
Superconducting electrical transport across single
grain boundaries (GBs) in YBCO shows interesting behavior in
substantial magnetic fields. Measurements on [001] tilt
bicrystal YBCO thin films in strong magnetic fields are
consistent with the following: Low-angle GBs (<10/spl deg/)
are composed of well-ordered bridges that act as strong
superconducting inter-granular links; large-angle GBs exhibit
weak coupling behavior that retains a well defined critical
current even at high field. |
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Temperature
dependence of the intragrain critical current density in
polycrystalline Ag-sheathed Bi(2223) tapes
(p2667) G. Grasso, M.R. Cimberle,
C. Ferdeghini, A.S. Siri, F. Marti and R.
Flukiger
Summary: The temperature dependence
of the intrinsic (Bi,Pb)/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 10/ current density has been evaluated inside Ag
sheathed tapes. By comparing transport and magnetic
measurements performed on multifilamentary (Bi,Pb)/sub
2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 10/ tapes, we individuate a
domain of the H-T plane where the current density is limited
by the quality of the boundaries between neighboring grains
and the tape behaves as a granular superconductor and, on the
contrary, the domain where it behaves like a single crystal.
At temperatures below 30 K in absence of applied fields, we
find that the intragrain current density is about an order of
magnitude larger than the transport current
density. |
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Direct
identification of extended defects as vortex pinning centers
in melt textured YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/-Y/sub 2/BaCuO/sub
5/ composites T. Puig, X.
Obradors, B. Martinez, F. Sandiumenge, J. O'Callaghan and J.
Rabier
Summary: Single domain YBa/sub
2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/-Y/sub 2/BaCuO/sub 5/ melt textured ceramic
composites have revealed a very rich microstructure, which has
usually impeded, by using standard measurements, to evaluate
the contribution of each defect to the enhancement of the
critical current. We have measured the in-plane
magnetoresistance anisotropy and the anisotropic in-plane
inductive critical currents and we show that together with the
microstructural TEM analysis, the contribution of the
different extended pinning centers can be separated. These
results have allowed us to infer the kind of microstructure
modifications required to improve the critical current. In
particular, we present an isostatic pressing deformation
technique as a very promising post-processing treatment to
strongly increase the critical currents of these
composites. |
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Temperature
dependence of the intragrain critical current density in
polycrystalline Ag-sheathed Bi(2223) tapes
(p2659) G. Grasso, M.R. Cimberle,
C. Ferdeghini, A.S. Siri, F. Marti and R.
Flukiger
Summary: The temperature dependence
of the intrinsic (Bi,Pb)/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub
3/O/sub 10/ current density has been evaluated inside Ag
sheathed tapes. By comparing transport and magnetic
measurements performed on multifilamentary (Bi,Pb)/sub
2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 10/ tapes, we individuate a
domain of the H-T plane where the current density is limited
by the quality of the boundaries between neighboring grains
and the tape behaves as a granular superconductor and, on the
contrary, the domain where it behaves like a single crystal.
At temperatures below 30 K in absence of applied fields, we
find that the intragrain current density is about an order of
magnitude larger than the transport current
density. |
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Influence
of surface barriers on vortex dynamics in Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub
2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl delta//
whiskers M.S. James, S.J.
Bending, S.T. Stoddart, S. Aukkaravittayapun, P.J. King and M.
Henini
Summary: Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCa/sub
2/O/sub 8+/spl delta// whiskers are single crystals with
highly regular surfaces and few extended defects, making them
excellent model systems for studying the role of surfaces in
magnetization. Furthermore, they can be elastically bent
without losing their superconducting properties, making them
potentially important technological materials. We have made a
detailed investigation of their magnetic properties using
micron-sized Hall probe arrays and show that surface effects
play a dominant role in controlling the vortex dynamics,
particularly in the moderate to high temperature regime. Local
magnetic induction cycles exhibit the asymmetric behaviour
characteristic of surface barriers and when the whiskers are
slowly field cooled, sharp jumps are observed. The systematic
behaviour of these jumps leads us to speculate that they
represent sudden configurational rearrangements as a result of
the interplay between vortex-surface barrier and vortex-vortex
interactions. |
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Numerical
simulations of elastic properties of flux-line lattices in
high-T/sub c/
superconductors Zhi-Xiong Cai,
D.O. Welch and G.S. Dubey
Summary: We propose
a quantitative model of the effective interaction between the
magnetic flux-lines in a layered superconductor. It is derived
from the Lawrence-Doniach model with all of its parameters
derivable from experiments. Numerical simulations are
performed using the Langevin dynamics technique for parameters
suitable for Bi-2212. We studied the elastic properties of
flux line lattices with various values of interlayer coupling
strength and pinning strengths. We show that the "softening"
of the flux-line lattices with increasing temperature is
mainly due to the increase of configurational entropy of the
lattice. The calculated results show good agreement with
experimental observations and provide a unique way to study
the properties of flux-line lattices with random
pinning. |
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Inhomogeneous
magnetic flux distribution in Ag/Bi2223
tapes K. Osamura, K. Matsuno, H.
Itoh, T. Horita, H. Tsurumaru and A. Sakai
Summary:
The self magnetic field when applying transport current
and the residual magnetic flux density after removing the
external field were measured by means of scanning Hall probe
technique and converted to the local current density
distribution. The transport current density as well as the
shield current density became highest at the edge part of the
oxide core in Ag sheathed Bi2223 tape, which are larger than
the transport critical current density measured by four
terminal method. Inhomogeneity of magnetic field distribution
along the current flow direction was attributed to the
positional change of oxide layer thickness. The degree of
inhomogeneity decreased for the tape with the higher transport
critical current density. |
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Enhanced
current capacity of jelly-roll processed and transformed
Nb/sub 3/Al multifilamentary
conductors T. Takeuchi, K.
Tagawa, T. Kiyoshi, K. Itoh, M. Kosuge, M. Yuyama, H. Wada, Y.
Iijima, K. Inoue, K. Nakagawa, G. Iwaki and H.
Moriai
Summary: In order to enhance the
current carrying capacity, we have developed an improved
fabrication process where the wire diameter can be increased
from 0.5 to 1.25 mm and the Nb-matrix ratio decreased from 1.5
to 0.52, without degrading the critical current density, J/sub
c/, of Nb/sub 3/Al phase. The critical current for a
monolithic conductor at 21 T and 4.2 K has now been enhanced
to 166 A which used to be 15 A. The compacted-strand-cables
were fabricated to investigate feasibility for large-scale
application uses. We have found that stranding and
flat-rolling the as-quenched Nb/Nb(Al)/sub ss/ composite cause
no degradation in J/sub c/. Attempts were made to stabilize
the resulting high current conductors. |
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Development
of Nb/sub 3/Al superconductors for
ITER N. Ayai, Y. Yamada, A.
Mikumo, M. Ito, K. Ohmatsu, K. Sato, N. Koizumi, T. Ando, K.
Matsui, M. Sugimoto, H. Tsuji and K. Okuno
Summary:
In the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor
project, the Nb/sub 3/Al superconductor has been recognized as
one of the candidates for the Toroidal Field Coil
superconductor. An Nb/sub 3/Al Insert will be tested in the
bore of the Central Solenoid Model Coil under ITER Engineering
Design Activities. The authors developed the copper stabilized
multifilamentary strand using the jelly-roll process for the
Nb/sub 3/Al Insert. The strand had Jc above 600 A/mm/sup 2/ at
12 T under the bending strain of 0.4%, the hysteresis loss
density lower than the 410 mJ/cc in the alternative magnetic
field of +/- 3 T parallel to the wire axial direction and the
residual resistivity lower than 1.6/spl times/10/sup -10/ /spl
Omega/m. We have developed a large scale multifilamentary
billet from which a 16 km wire could be obtained. Total 230 km
strands were manufactured from the large scale billet. A yield
of 90% was obtained for the wire longer than 500 m and 70% for
the wire longer than 1500 m. The maximum unit length reached
4600 m. |
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Process
development and microstructures of Nb/sub 3/Al precursor
strand for reel-to-reel
production E. Gregory, M. Tomsic,
F. Buta, M.D. Sumption and E.W. Collings
Summary:
Niobium-aluminum precursor strands were fabricated
using a modified form of the rod-in-tube method (MRT) and also
the conventional jelly-roll (JR) method. Monoelements with
Nb/Al volume ratios of 2.3, 2.7, 3, and 5 were drawn down and
restacked into groups of 7/spl times/37 and 37/spl times/37
(MRT), also 7, 19, and 36 (JR) elements. Suitably clad, these
were reduced to final strand sizes of 1.6, 1.2, and 0.8 mm
(MRT) also 0.8 and 0.4 mm (JR). In this way, the thickness of
the Al component of the Nb/Al composite was reduced to sizes
in the range of 2.5 to 0.1 /spl mu/m. Although most of the
material produced to date has been fully cold drawn, warm
hydrostatic extrusion has been explored for use in the next
phase of strand production. The MRT and JR strands, in
short-sample form, have been subjected to pulsed resistive
heating to temperatures of typically 1800 to 2100/spl deg/C
followed by either radiative cooling or liquid-Ga quenching.
Studies of the relationship between Al-element thickness and
final properties have been made. |
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Effects
of additional elements to Nb/sub 3/Al multifilamentary wire
fabricated by rapid-heating/quenching
process Y. Iijima, A. Kikuchi, K.
Inoue and T. Takeuchi
Summary: We have
developed an RHQT process (Rapid-Heat, Quench, and
Transformation), for fabricating Nb/sub 3/Al multifilamentary
wires, which showed 2 to 5 times larger J/sub c/ (4.2 K) than
those of commercially available Nb/sub 3/Sn multifilamentary
superconducting wires. We studied the effects of Mg and Ge
additions to the RHQT-processed Nb/sub 3/Al multifilamentary
wire. In order to add Mg and Ge, Al-5at%Mg alloy and
Al-20at%Ge alloy were used instead of pure Al for making the
precursors of Nb/sub 3/Al multifilamentary wire, respectively.
The Mg addition reduced T/sub c/ of the Nb/sub 3/Al
multifilamentary wire a little from 17.6-17.9 K to 17.1-17.4
K, but had no apparent influence on H/sub c2/ (4.2 K) of 25-27
T. The large J/sub c/ (4.2 K, 20 T) of 200-450 A/mm/sup 2/
were obtained for the Nb/sub 3/Al multifilamentary wire
independently of the Mg addition. On the other hand the Ge
addition increased not only T/sub c/ of Nb/sub 3/Al
multifilamentary wire from 17.6 K to 19.4 K, but also H/sub
c2/ (4.2 K) from 25.4-27.2 T to 34.0-39.4 T. The Ge addition
improved drastically the J/sub c/ (4.2 K) in fields above 22
T, but reduced the J/sub c/ (4.2 K) in low
fields. |
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Strain
and grain connectivity in Bi2223/Ag superconducting
tapes Ying Kai Huang, B. ten
Haken and H.H.J. Ten Kate
Summary: The
critical current reduction in silver-sheathed (Bi,Pb)/sub
2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 10/ superconducting tapes
(Bi2223/Ag) is investigated when loaded with uni-axial strains
in combination with a magnetic field perpendicular to the tape
surface. The number and quality of the grain-to-grain
connections and the alignment of the superconducting cores
mainly determine the critical current in Bi2223/Ag tapes. It
is assumed that the transport current flows simultaneously
through two current carrying paths in the tape: one through
the network of Josephson junctions and the other is through
the well-connected grains. The model describes well the
magnetic field dependence of the critical current at various
strains. A detailed analysis has shown that strain
deteriorates grain connectivity, induces cracking and hence
changes the current carrying path. Furthermore, strain may
introduce new defects inside the grains along the strong-link
current path and increase intra-granular pinning
strength. |
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Development
of reinforced Ag alloy sheathed Bi2223
tapes Y. Hikichi, T. Koizumi, T.
Hirota, A. Imai and T. Hasegawa
Summary: We
developed the Ag-Mg-Sb alloy which had a tensile strength of
about 500 MPa and elongation of 5.5%. The tensile strength of
150 MPa was obtained at room temperature in the Bi-2223 tape
using this Ag-Mg alloy for the outer sheath. The J/sub c/
value of the Ag-Mg alloy sheathed Bi-2223 tape has come to be
above 10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K in self field. And the
J/sub c/ value was kept until a tensile stress of 120 MPa was
applied. The critical bending strain of the tape was the same
as that of the pure Ag sheathed tape. These results indicated
that this tape was tolerant of the mechanical stress in the
manufacturing process and hoop stress during the magnet
operation. |
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Fabrication
and properties of some Ag-alloy sheathed Bi-2223
tapes R. Zeng, Y.C. Guo, Y.
Tanaka, J. Horvat, M. Ionescu, T.P. Beales, M. Apperley, H.K.
Liu and S.X. Dou
Summary: Mono and
multifilamentary powder-in-tube tapes with sheaths of Ag,
AgCu/sub 0.02/, Ag(AgCu/sub 0.02/), AgAl/sub 0.25/,
Ag(AgAl/sub 0.25/), AgNi/sub 0.25/Mg/sub 0.25/, AgTi/sub
0.25/Mg/sub 0.25/, and AgTi/sub 0.25/ alloys have been
fabricated and their physio-chemical properties and effect on
the phase formation of Bi-2223 determined. Alloying was found
to have a significant effect on phase formation of the Bi-2223
phase formation linked to the alloying elements reactive to
oxygen, Cu |
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Dislocation-assisted-diffusion
model for the kinetics of bismuth cuprate 2212-to-2223
transformation Zhi-Xiong Cai and
Yimei Zhu
Summary: Recent transmission
electron microscopy (TEM) experiments have shown that the
transformation of the Bi cuprate 2212 phase to 2223 phase
consists of random intercalation and fast growth of Ca/CuO/sub
2/ planes in the Bi-2212 matrix. This contradicts the
prediction of the conventional nucleation and growth theory. A
model is proposed which considers the cylindrical void created
by the edge dislocation due to the insertion of a Ca/CuO/sub
2/ plane to be a channel for fast ion diffusion. The
experimentally observed time dependence of the volume fraction
of Bi-2223 during the transformation is found to be consistent
with a one-dimensional diffusion-controlled transformation
mechanism, as predicted by our model. The formation energy of
Bi-2223 is estimated and is consistent with the results of
atomistic simulations. |
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Heat
transfer and oxygen diffusion in Ag-clad BSCCO superconducting
tapes P.E. Phelan, R.N. Samant
and S. Paluru
Summary: The quality of Ag-clad
BSCCO superconducting tapes is a function of their processing
conditions. Two important processing parameters are the
cooling rate from the annealing condition, and the oxygen
partial pressure in the furnace. Although a link between
oxygen content and critical current density has been
established, apparently no attempts have been made to predict
the temperature and oxygen content distributions within a
Ag-clad BSSCO tape. This study presents a combined thermal and
mass transfer model which enables the calculation of the
oxygen content distribution, and the results indicate a slow
cooling rate, and relatively high oxygen partial pressure,
leading to a greater and more uniform oxygen concentration
within the tape, and thus potentially superior superconducting
properties. |
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Enhancing
the engineering J/sub c/ of Bi-2223 multifilamentary tapes by
two-axial rolling and periodic
pressing Y.B. Huang, F. Marti, G.
Witz, R. Passerini, R. Flukiger and G.
Grasso
Summary: Bi-2223 multifilamentary
tapes with a filling factor from 20 to 51% have been produced
by a modified Powder-In-Tube method, where a two-axial rolling
method is used to replace the standard drawing process.
Because the two-axial rolling process does not apply tensile
force during wire fabrication and every filament receives a
very similar reduction during the deformation processing of
the wire into a tape, the size homogeneity of filaments can be
significantly improved for tapes with high filling factor.
Combining this with a periodic pressing process, the
engineering critical current density has been increased from 4
to 8 kA/cm/sup 2/ (77 K, 0 T) for tapes with a filling factor
of 35%. The effect of deformation and heat-treatment
conditions on the microstructure and transport properties has
been found to be quite different in tapes with high filling
factor. |
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Effect
of cryogenic deformation on microstructure and critical
current density in Ag/Bi-2223
tapes H.K. Liu, Q.Y. Hu, X.Z.
Liao, Y.C. Guo, J. Horvat and S.X. Dou
Summary:
The effect of deformation rate and silver hardness on
J/sub c/ and microstructure of Ag/Bi-2223 tapes was studied
under cryogenic processing conditions. It was found that
cryogenic deformation improved the grain connectivity,
alignment, Ag/core interface and critical current density.
These benefits may be attributable to the increased extent of
mechanical deformation. The hardness of the silver sheath
during cryogenic mechanical deformation was significantly
increased, allowing for a much larger load to be applied
during the deformation process comparing to the mechanical
deformation at room temperature. The maximum J/sub c/ appeared
at a 20% reduction rate of the tape thickness for
cryogenically processed Ag/Bi-2223 tape. Higher deformation
rate decreases J/sub c/ for cryogenically processed Ag/Bi-2223
tape which can be explained by the results of TEM examination.
TEM images show that the sample having low J/sub c/ had many
small grains with large angle grain boundaries after
recrystallisation when a high rate of thickness reduction
(58%) was applied during the process, while the sample having
high J/sub c/ had large grains with many small angle c-axis
twist grain boundaries and small angle tilt grain boundaries
when 19% of thickness reduction was applied during the
process. |
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High
electrical performance Ag-sheathed Bi-2223 multifilamentary
tapes prepared by an optimised PIT processing
route R. Zeng, P. Yao, B.
Zeimetz, T.P. Beales, H.K. Liu and S.X. Dou
Summary:
An optimised PIT processing route is introduced and
discussed, using results from experiments investigating the
effect of processing on microstructure, and subsequently on
J/sub c/ in PIT tapes. At 77 K and self-field, the highest
J/sub c/ performance of 51000A/cm/sup 2/ has been obtained for
69-filament tapes. High critical current samples with I/sub
c/=108A and J/sub c/=36000A/cm/sup 2/ have been measured at 77
K and self-field for 361-filament tapes. Our results indicated
that J/sub c/ is influenced by the Pb distribution of Pb-2212,
phase composition for the precursor powder, the deformation
reduction rate, and the core thickness. Intermediate
processing (cooling, deformation and heating) between
thermal-mechanical cycles and finally cooling procedures also
play an important role on Bi-2223 phase purity and achievement
of such high electrical performance in the
tapes. |
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Effect
of short processing time on Bi-2223 phase formation kinetics
and critical current in Bi-2223/Ag
tapes R. Zeng, H.K. Liu, T.P.
Beales and S.X. Dou
Summary: Bi-2223 volume
fraction and the critical current (I/sub C/) in Bi-2223/Ag
tapes exhibited maximum values (f/sub 2223 max/ and I/sub
Cmax/) versus sintering time; on further heating the Bi-2223
phase decomposed and the I/sub C/ decreased. The total time to
reach I/sub Cmax/ is defined as t/sub c/. Based on the
investigation of the effect of processing on Bi-2223 phase
formation kinetics, an optimal processing to substantially
reduce the processing time in Ag-sheathed Bi-2223 tapes was
introduced in this paper. It was found that, after 10-15 h
sintering, the Bi-2223 phase formation rate decreased. An
intermediate procedure using quench, pressing or rolling and
then rapid heating can avoid unnecessary Bi-2223 phase
decomposition and recovery, decrease the diffusion distance
and substantially reduce the sintering time in Bi-2223/Ag
tapes. The t/sub c/ was reduced to 30 h or even 20 h and J/sub
c/ reached 40-50 kA/cm/sup 2/ for multifilamentary tapes. Our
results indicated that Pb distribution in precursor powder
plays an important role on fast phase formation. Fabrication
of high J/sub c/ tapes in a short time is desirable to
scale-up production of Ag/Bi2223 tapes. |
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Pre-industrial
PIT conductor and coil development at
Alcatel P.F. Herrmann, E. Beghin,
G. Duperray, F. Grivon, D. Legat, A. Leriche, J.P. Tavergnier,
P. Marlin and Y. Parasie
Summary: In 1995 the
PIT conductor development was strengthened at Alcatel and
important progress has been achieved since. During 1997 the
patented rectangular Alcatel route was upscaled and
pre-industrial conductors have been fabricated in a wire
drawing mill. After the successful transfer the first high
performance conductors have been realized in kilometer
lengths. The conductors are realized in cooperation with
Aventis Research and Technologies using precursor powders
optimized for the Alcatel conductor route. The simpler
Bi-2212/AgPd matrix conductor is used as a working horse where
engineering current densities of J/sub e/=65 kA/cm/sup 2/ have
been reached at 4 K, 0 T. Significant progress has also been
achieved on Bi-2223 conductors where critical current
densities of J/sub c/=30 kA/cm/sup 2/ at 77 K, 0 T are
reached. First solenoids generating a field up to 2.3 Tesla
have been realized using Bi-2212 conductors. In a background
field of 3 Tesla this magnet still generates a field of 2
Tesla. The results on test coils are consistent with J/sub
c/(H) measurements on short samples showing that an important
step towards high homogeneity conductors has been
achieved. |
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Significantly
enhanced critical current density in Bi-2223/Ag
multifilamentary tapes by hot
pressing R. Zeng, B. Ye, J.
Horvat, Y.C. Guo, B. Zeimetz, X.F. Yang, T.P. Beales, H.K. Liu
and S.X. Dou
Summary: Bi-2223/Ag
multifilamentary tapes were fabricated using a hot-pressing
technique to investigate its effect on grain connectivity and
flux pinning. The critical current density in tapes after
hot-pressing was doubled. J/sub c/ increased from
26000A/cm/sup 2/ to 56100A/cm/sup 2/ in a 19-filament tape.
However, the critical current density in an applied magnetic
field was not improved by hot-pressing. The fraction of strong
links (I/sub C0//sup s//I/sub C0/) was improved from 47% to
68% in a 19-filament tape due to hot pressing. Microstructural
analysis showed that hot-pressing improved grain connectivity,
increased core density and reduced secondary
phases. |
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Correlation
of critical current density and phase conversion at different
final cooling rate in Ag-sheathed PbBi2223
tapes S.P. Feltham, L.N. Law,
T.J. Hughes, Y. Yang, C. Beduz and R.
Riddle
Summary: As shown by Parrell et al., a
final reduced cooling rate can produce an improvement of the
optimum critical current in field. In this paper we present
results on the critical current density and magnetic field
dependence of Ag-sheathed (Pb,Bi)-2223 multifilamentary tapes
as a function of the final sintering time for different
cooling. Correlation between 2223 phase conversion, as
determined by XRD, and the critical current density is also
examined. For samples slow cooled to 800/spl deg/C at 1/spl
deg/C/h followed by furnace cooling to room temperature, the
critical current density remained almost constant at 20
KAcm/sup -2/ with different final sintering times between 10
to 150 hours. In contrast samples slow-cooled to 730/spl deg/C
at 1/spl deg/C/h showed a decreased J/sub c/ of 7 KAcm/sup -2/
for a short final sintering time of 10 hours, rising gradually
to 22 KAcm/sup -2/ at 200 hours. Corresponding to this, the
samples cooled to 800/spl deg/C show a phase composition of
90% apparent (Pb,Bi)-2223 for all times, as opposed to a
gradual increase of the (Pb,Bi)-2223 phase from 65% to 90%
with increasing sintering time for samples slow cooled to
730/spl deg/C. As the conditions are exactly the same prior to
the cooling below 800/spl deg/C, the reduced conversion for
the samples slow cooled to 730/spl deg/C must be the result of
2212 precipitation from the apparent (Pb,Bi)-2223 phase
present at 800/spl deg/C. |
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The
effects of adding fully reacted Bi-2223 seed particles on the
phase transformation and microstructure of Ag/Bi-2223
tapes Weon-Ju Kim, Hee-Gyoun Lee,
Sun-Chil Kwon, Ki-Baik Kim, Ho Jin Lee and Gye-Won
Hong
Summary: The effect of adding fully
reacted (Bi,Pb)/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/ Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/
(Bi-2223) particles to the precursor powder on the final
property of Ag/Bi-2223 tapes has been investigated. Different
amounts of fully reacted Bi-2223 particles ranging from 0 to
10 wt% were added to the precursor powder consisting of mostly
Bi-2212 and calcium plumbate phases. The tapes seeded with
Bi-2223 particles showed a relatively high J/sub c/ in a short
annealing time without mechanical deformation steps. The
existence of Bi-2223 particles in the precursor powder
resulted in a smaller grain size, showed no appreciable
incubation period and a faster transformation rate in an
isothermal annealing experiment compared to the tape
containing no seed particles. A detailed analysis of the
microstructure and phase transformation kinetics indicates
that a two dimensional nucleation and growth process is the
most plausible mechanism for Bi-2223 phase formation. For the
tapes containing seed particles, the formation rate of Bi-2223
phase was found to be controlled by the diffusion of material,
while the formation of nuclei controlled the Bi-2223 formation
for the tape containing no seed particles. |
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Properties
of Bi(Pb)-2223 precursor powders calcined in reduced oxygen
partial pressure Weon-Ju Kim,
Hee-Gyoun Lee, Sun-Chil Kwon, Ki-Baik Kim, Ho Jin Lee and
Gye-Won Hong
Summary: The performance of
Ag/Bi-2223 superconducting tapes is affected by complex
processing parameters, especially by the characteristics of
the precursor powder, i.e., the nominal stoichiometry, phase
assemblage, purity, particle size and distribution, etc.
Calcination in a low oxygen partial pressure (3 torr oxygen)
resulted in a reactive precursor powder by the accelerated
decomposition of the carbonates. In addition, the type of
second phase and the distribution of lead in this precursor
powder are different compared to those of the powder calcined
in atmospheric air. Ag/Bi-2223 tapes have been fabricated and
the phase evolution, critical current density, and
microstructure of the two tapes have been
compared. |
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Cooling
behavior of BSCCO/Ag tapes L.G.
Andersen, H.F. Poulsen, T. Frello, N.H. Andersen and M. von
Zimmermann
Summary: The phase transformations
taking place during cooling of BSCCO/Ag tapes have been
investigated by means of high energy X-ray diffraction at a
synchrotron source. This technique allows in-situ measurements
of the concentration changes of the major structural phases,
including liquids. In addition, information is obtained on
stoichiometry and texture variations. Two mono-filament tapes
were studied in air. The first tape was cooled at a constant
rate of 50/spl deg/C/h. At temperatures above 730/spl deg/C
the (Ca,Sr)/sub 2/CuO/sub 3/ and liquid phases are almost
completely converted to 2212 and 2223. Below 780/spl deg/C a
Pb-rich phase appears, either 3221 or (Ca,Sr)/sub 2/PbO/sub
4/. Simultaneously, shifts of X-ray lines indicate that 2223
is deprived of Pb, and from 730/spl deg/C onwards the
concentration of 2223 drops. The second tape was cooled in
steps to sequentially lower temperatures: 845/spl deg/C,
820/spl deg/C and 660/spl deg/C. At the former two steps
(Ca,Sr)/sub 2/CuO/sub 3/ and liquid phases are again converted
to 2212 and 2223, while at 660/spl deg/C they are rapidly
converted to 2212 and-primarily-2201. Also at 660/spl deg/C,
2223 decomposes to 3221 or (Ca,Sr)/sub 2/PbO/sub 4/ at a rate
of 40% per hour. |
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Continuous
multistrand assembly techniques for Ag clad superconducting
wire K. DeMoranville, P. Antaya,
C. Martin, Q. Li, G.N. Riley Jr., S. Hancock, M. Simpson, J.
Marquardt and D. Tatelbaum
Summary: A method
to continuously combine and deform silver clad superconducting
strands has been developed. This technique has been used to
fabricate multifilament superconducting tapes consisting of
Bi-2223, high temperature superconducting precursors. Results
show that silver has the unique ability to be bonded together
in a continuous strand process without requiring a protective
atmosphere. The approach uses a continuous process to combine
relatively fine wires that are aligned in the desired
configuration, held in intimate contact and heat-treated to
promote metallurgical bonding. Silver grain growth across
strand interfaces has been documented in processed tapes and
lengths approaching 100 meters have been fabricated.
Engineering critical current densities (J/sub c/) as high as
19000 amps/cm/sup 2/ (77 K, self-field, 1 /spl mu/V/cm) have
been recorded in short samples. |
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The
influence of long reaction time on various properties of
monocore Bi-2223/Ag tapes F.
Marti, M. Dhalle, R. Flukiger, G. Grasso and J.-C.
Grivel
Summary: The mechanisms leading to a
maximum of j/sub c/ as a function of reaction time in
(Bi,Pb)/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x/
monofilamentary tapes are investigated. Various properties of
tapes previously reacted 40 hours in air at 837/spl deg/C,
rolled, and submitted to additional reaction during times
varying from 40 to 240 hours were measured. The evolution of
morphology, phase assembly, stoichiometry, weight, critical
temperature, critical current and irreversibility line is
described. XRD and SEM analysis reveal no decomposition of the
Bi(2223) phase and no noticeable grain growth in the time
window under investigation. Pb losses as function of reaction
time up to 40% were detected by means of thermogravimetry and
EDX, while an increase of T/sub c/ from 107.25 to 109.1 K was
observed. Transport and magnetic measurements show that the
observed maximum of j/sub c/ at about 180 hours is the result
of two competing effects: a) an improvement of the quality of
grain boundaries and b) a decrease of the pinning efficiency
in the grains. |
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Fabrication
and properties of high J/sub c/ multifilamentary (Bi,Pb)-2223
tapes with Ag-alloy sheath P.X.
Zhang, H. Maeda, L. Zhou, C.S. Li, Z.Z. Duan and H.L.
Zheng
Summary: (Bi,Pb)-2223 tapes with 37
filaments have been fabricated by powder in tube (PIT) method.
Silver was used for the sheath of filaments and the Ag-Mn-Ni
alloy was used for the outer sheath of the tapes. A high
critical current density of 29000A/cm/sup 2/ (77 K, 0 T) has
been achieved in rolled tape with Ag-alloy sheath, in this
case the critical current of the tapes is 81.5A, which is
higher than that of multifilamentary tapes with pure Ag sheath
prepared by the same process. The precursor powders prepared
by mixing the (Bi,Pb)-2212 and CaCuO/sub 2/ has been
considered to be beneficial for fabricating high J/sub c/
multifilamentary tapes with Ag-alloy sheath. The
superconducting properties and microstructural characteristics
of the multifilamentary tapes have been investigated in this
work. |
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Author
Index (1998 - Part 2) No author
information available
Summary: Not
available |
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