Growth of biaxially textured CeO2/YSZ/CeO2 and SrTiO3 buffer layers on textured Ni substrates by pulsed laser deposition

Biaxially textured CeO2/YSZ/CeO2 and SrTiO3 buffer layers have been grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on rolling assisted biaxially textured substrates (RABiTS) made of Ni. Full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the omega scan, phi scan of these buffer layers were comparable to the Ni substrates indicating good epitaxial growth on RABiTS. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurements showed that these buffer layers were smooth and crack-free. CeO2/YSZ/CeO2/Ni and SrTiO3/Ni buffer layers prepared by this technique can be used as templates for the growth of high-T-c superconductors coated conductors. Unlike CeO2 seed layers, which could be easily epitaxially grown on RABiTS Ni substrates in forming gas, cube-on-cube epitaxial growth of SrTiO3 on RABiTS Ni substrates can be achieved only in a narrow window of deposition temperatures and forming gas pressure.