Transport and structural characterization of epitaxial Nd1+xBa2-xCu3Oy thin films grown on LaAlO3 and Ni metal substrates by pulsed-laser deposition

The epitaxial growth and properties of Nd1+xBa2-xCu3Oy (NdBCO) thin films using pulsed-laser deposition are reported. Thin films on single crystal LaAlO3 having T-c0 = 93 K and J(c)(H= 0, T = 77 K)= 3 MA/cm(2) were reproducibly fabricated. NdBCO films were subsequently grown on textured Ni substrates on which a YSZ/CeO2 buffer-layer architecture was previously deposited by the same PLD technique. X-ray diffraction data showed a high degree of in-plane and out-of-plane alignment for the different layers of these coated conductors. Electron diffraction analysis of the NdBCO film revealed dense morphology and low-angle grain boundaries (less than or equal to 3 degrees). Direct current transport measurements yielded a J(c) of about 300 kA/cm(2) at zero field and 77 K. J(c) dependence on the field intensity and orientation revealed enhanced pinning at high fields with respect to YBCO and NdBCO films on LaAlO3. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.