Liquid phase epitaxy for the production of YBa2Cu3O7-δ coated conductor

The liquid phase epitaxy (LPE), which is performed under ambient pressure with simple growth apparatus, allows us to fabricate high-Jc YBa2Cu3O7-delta (YBCO) crystalline thick films at high growth rate. We propose that the LPE growth of YBCO films on single crystalline oxide fibers is another way to produce YBCO-coated conductors for power application. In the conventional case of using BaO-CuO melt as a solvent, by which the YBCO crystals grow at about 1000 degreesC, YBCO coating on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) or SrTiO3 (STO) single crystalline fibers has not been successfully achieved because of their reaction with the solvent. Recently we have discovered that BaF2 added as a solution decreases the crystallization temperature of YBCO down to 900 degreesC and suppress the reactivity with no degradation of superconductivity of the YBCO crystal. The YBCO-coated fibers are successfully prepared using this solution. The behavior of critical current under magnetic fields shows that these YBCO-coated fibers have the potential to he used under a high magnetic field at the temperature of liquid nitrogen. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.