Fabrication of RE123 coated conductor using LPE process

Abstract

We have tried to apply the liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) process to fabricate RE123 coated conductors. We have developed the architecture using a BaZrO 3 buffer layer, called “non-reactive buffer type” on a textured Ni substrate. In the previous study, RE123/BaZrO 3/NiO/Ni sample was shown that T c value was about 90 K, however the J c value was lower than 10 3 A/cm 2. In order to increase J c of the film, the perfect coverage on of the BaZrO 3 on the substrate has to be attained. Then, we tried to grow a BaZrO 3 buffer layer directly on a textured Ni substrate without formation of the NiO layer to maintain good in-plane alignment. The alignments of the BaZrO 3 layer and the seed layer become better in this architecture, and the linkage of LPE grains was improved. Consequently, the sample of Y–Yb/BaZrO 3/Ni revealed the T c value of about 90 K and the I c value of 12 A.