• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.65-70
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• 2006

We fabricated $YBa_2Cu_33O_{7-x}$(YBCO) films on(00l) $LaAlO_3$ substrates prepared by metal organic deposition(MOD) method using trifluoroacetate(TFA) solution and evaluated the effects of the humidity on the microstructure, phase purity, and critical properties. The films calcined at $430^{\circ}C$ were fired at $775^{\circ}C$ at 0%, 4.2%, 12.1%, and 20.0% humidified As gas mixed with 0.1% $O_2$. We observed that the amount of $BaF_2$ phase was effectively reduced and that a sharp and strong biaxial texture formed under a humidified atmosphere, leading to increased critical properties. For the films fired at 0% humidity, the $T_c\;and\;I_c$ were undetectably small. When the humidity was increased to 4.2%, the corresponding $T_c$(onset) and $I_c$ were increased to 90.5 K and 8 A/cm-width, respectively. For the films at the humidity range of 12.1-20.0%, the $I_c$ was found to be 35 A/cm-width. According to the results of the XRD, pole-figure, and SEM, these improved critical properties are probably attributed to the formation of a purer YBCO phase, larger grain size, and stronger c-axis orientation.