Cube textured substrates for YBCO coated conductors: Influence of initial grain size and strain conditions during tape rolling

The realization of high critical current density YBCO-based coated conductors in the RABiTS approach is primarily related to the sharpness of cube texture developed in the. substrate. Among the various proposed Ni-based tapes, Ni-W alloys have attracted a particular interest either because of the enhanced mechanical properties and reduced magnetism with respect to pure Ni, or of the sharp and almost pure cube texture that can be induced. The only other remarkable component associated with cube orientation consists of its twins, whose formation is known to be primarily determined by the stacking fault energy, which is a characteristic of the material. Despite this fact, the obtained textures for a given material can significantly vary, suggesting that the deformation regime, as well as the initial bulk conditions, have a role in influencing twins formation. In this contribution, the effect of the strain conditions during mechanical deformation and initial bulk grain size on the final recrystallization texture are evaluated. EBSD and x-ray analyses evidence the influence of the initial grain size on the recrystallization texture, since sharper cube textures with reduced non-cube components develop in finer-grained starting material. Conversely the condition of plane strain deformation plays no role in determining the recrystallization texture.