High-Jc NdBa2Cu3O7−δ coated conductors on IBAD-YSZ templates by PLD process

We report a successful fabrication of high-Jc NdBa2Cu3O7−δ (NdBCO) coated conductors on CeO2 /IBAD-YSZ/SS templates (YSZ ∼ 2 μm thick, CeO2 ∼ 20 nm thick). The NdBCO films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at the substrate temperatures (Ts) ranging from 750 to 830 °C under the same total pressure of 800 mTorr with 1%O2/Ar gas. Transport Jc values over 1 MA/cm2 at 77 K in self-field were achieved for NdBCO coated conductors deposited at Ts of 775-800 °C. The highest Jc value of 1.8 MA/cm2 was obtained from the NdBCO coated conductor deposited at 775 °C, implying that NdBCO is comparable to YBCO for coated conductors. These samples had Tc values of 88-90 K, commonly exhibited good in- and out-of-plane textures with the FWHM values of (1 0 3) ϕ-scan and the (0 0 6) ω-scan of 7-8° and 3.5-4.5°, respectively, and the densities and sizes of outgrowth particles in the films were not apparently different from each other.