High critical current density of YBCO coated conductors fabricated by inclined substrate deposition

Inclined substrate deposition (ISD) has great potential for rapid production of high-quality template layers for YBCO-coated conductors. We have grown biaxially textured magnesium oxide (MgO) films on metallic substrates by ISD at deposition rates, 20-100 Angstrom/s. Scanning electron microscopy of the ISD MgO films showed columnar grain structures with a roof-tile-shaped surface. X-ray diffraction and pole figure analysis revealed that the c-axis of the ISD MgO is tilted at an angle with respect to the substrate normal. A full width at half maximum (FWHM) of approximate to10degrees was observed in the phi-scan for MgO films. Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and ceria (CeO2) buffer layers were epitaxially grown on ISD MgO by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) prior to YBCO deposition by PLD. The YBCO films grown on YSZ/CeO2 buffered ISD MgO substrates were biaxially aligned with the YBCO c-axis normal to the substrate surface. A critical current density of J(c) > 1.2 x 10(6) A/cm(2) was measured at 77 K in self-field. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.