Epitaxial nucleation and growth of buffer layers and Y123 coated conductors deposited by metal-organic decomposition

Solution-based deposition of buffer and superconductor layers offers routes to a low-cost YBCO coated conductor technology for high temperature superconductor tapes. In this work we explore the possibility of the preparation procedure of BaZrO3 buffer and YBCO layers on SrTiO3 (STO) single crystal Substrates by metal-organic decomposition. BaZrO3, buffer layers have been processed on single crystal substrates using a precursor solution based on barium acetate and zirconium 2,4-pentadionate in acetic acid. YBCO superconducting films were prepared on STO single crystals using trifluoroacetate precursors, X-ray diffraction and pole figure analyses denote good phase purity and high in-plane alignment (< 1.5°). SEM and AFM microstructural Studies evidence a low degree of roughness and porosity of the layer. These techniques together with μ-Raman spectroscopy. transverse SEM Observations, and Studies by SQUID magnetometry exhibit the existent relation between the different microstructural characteristics and their superconducting properties, © 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.