Fabrication Of High I-C Film For Gdbco Coated Conductor By Continuous In-Plume Pld

GdBa2Cu3Oy(GdBCO) films were fabricated on pulsed laser deposition (PLD)-CeO2/ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD)-Gd2Zr2O7/HasteIloy C276 metal substrate tapes using the continuous in-plume PLD method. The control of the target composition is important to improve the critical current density (J(c)) property, especially in the case of a short target-substrate distance. As a result, the critical current (I-c) value of 320 A/cm-W and the J(c) value of 3.2 MA/cm(2) were obtained by using the target composition of Gd:Ba:Cu = 1:23.4 (GdBa2Cu3.4Oy) in a short sample. It was also found that a high growth rate for the GdBCO film could be realized by crystal growth in the plume (in-plume) for the target. A twice higher growth rate was achieved by the in-plume PLD technique comparing with that in the conventional condition in which crystal growth takes place near the plume edge. In addition, in order to improve the 1, values in the external magnetic fields, we introduced the artificial pinning centers using a 5 mol%BaZrO3 doped GdBa2Cu3.4Oy target by the in-plume method. The BaZrO3 nanorods were effectively introduced by in-plume PLD and the obtained sample showed improved I-c-B-theta properties due to enhanced B parallel to c; the minimum I-c value of 25.6 A/cm-W at 3 T in the 1.6 mu m thick film. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.