FLEXIBLE STAINLESS-STEEL FOIL AS A SUBSTRATE FOR SUPERCONDUCTING Y-BA-CU-O FILMS

As-deposited superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O films have been grown on stainless steel substrates by the plasma assisted laser deposition technique. Low interfacial diffusion of iron at the 550 °C growth temperature enables us to produce superconducting films with critical temperatures up to 83 K and critical currents up to —4 x 103 A/cm2 (40 K). Dependence of the superconducting properties of the Y-Ba-Cu-O films on the surface condition of the mirror finished stainless steel substrate has been studied. Critical temperature and critical current of the films have been improved by heat-treating the substrate and incorporating buffer layers. Variation of the critical current with the bend radii of the film is discussed. © 1990, Materials Research Society. All rights reserved.