Crystal growth of NdBa2(Cu1-xNix)3O7-δ solid solutions by top-seeded solution growth for HTS device and tape applications

Ni-substituted NdBa2Cu3O7-delta (Ni-NdBCO) liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) thick films and single crystals have been grown by top-seeded solution-growth (TSSG) for possible SNS junction and superconductor tape applications. Compositional analysis by ICP revealed that Ni was saturated in the liquid at about 7 mol%, which corresponded to the Ni solid solubility nearly 11mol%. The increased substitution of Ni at Cu sites resulted in a decreasing trend of superconducting transition temperature (T-c), and orthorhombicity of its crystal structure. YBCO LPE thick films were grown on insulated Ni-NdBCO thick films (with an upper limit of Ni). After annealing, T-c reached a nearly saturated value over 90 K, indicating that there is insignificant interdiffusion on the interface between YBCO and Ni-NdBCO films. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.