• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.21-25
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• 2014

In order to develop 2nd generation (2G) high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wires as commercial products, it is necessary to perform a high speed investigation of their superconducting performance. Room-temperature and non-contact optical scanning tools are necessary to verify the microstructure of the superconducting materials, the current flow below the critical temperature, and the critical current density. In this paper, we report our results of an inspection of the electrical transport properties of coated conductors. The samples that we used in our study were highly qualified rare-earth based coated conductors produced via co-evaporation, and $SmBa_2Cu_3O_{7-y}$ (SmBCO) was the superconducting materials used in our studies. A film grown on IBAD-MgO templates shows larger than 400 A/cm at 77 K and a self-field. The local transport properties of the films were investigated by room-temperature imaging by thermal heating. The room-temperature images show structural inhomogeneities on the surface of the films. Bolometric response imaging via low-temperature bolometric microscopy was used to construct the local current mapping at the surface. These results indicate that the non-uniform regions on the surface disturb the current flow, and laser scanning images at room-temperature and at a low-temperature suggest a correlation between the structural properties and transport properties. Thus this method can be effective to evaluate the quality of the coated conductors.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.240-241
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• 2007

In general, high temperature superconducting coated conductors have intermediary buffers layer consisting of seed, diffusion barrier and cap layers. Simplification of the oxide materials buffer architecture in the fabrication of high temperature superconducting coated conductors is required because the deposition of multi-layers buffer architecture leads to a longer manufacturing time and a higher cost process of coated conductors. Thus, single buffer layer deposition seems to be important for practical coated conductor manufacturing process. In this study, a single gradient layered buffer deposition process of YZO for low cost coated conductors has been tried using DC reactive sputtering technique. About several thick YZO gradient single buffer layers deposited by DC co-sputtering process were found to act as a diffusion layer.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.10-13
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• 2021

Recently, cable conductors composed of numerous coated conductors have been developed to transport huge current for large-scale applications, for example accelerators and fusion reactors. Various cable conductors such as CORC (Conductor on round core), Roebel Cable, and TSTC (Twisted stacked tape cable) have been designed and tested to apply for large-scale applications. But, these cable conductors cannot improve the engineering critical current density (J_e) because they are made by simple stacking of coated conductors. In this study, multi-HTS (High temperature superconductor) layers on one substrate (MHOS) wire was fabricated to increase the engineering critical current density by using the exfoliation of superconducting layer from substrate and silver diffusion bonding method. By the repetition of these processes, the 10 m long 6-layer MHOS conductor was successfully fabricated without any intermediate layers like buffer or solder. 6-layer MHOS conductor exhibited a high critical current of 2,460A/12mm-w. and high engineering critical current density of 1,367A/mm² at liquid nitrogen temperature.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.10-13
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• 2015

High-temperature superconducting coated conductors (HTS-CCs) are good candidates for resistive superconducting fault current limiter (RSFCL) applications. However, the high current density they can carry and their low thermal diffusivity expose them to the risk of thermal instability. In order to find the best compromise between stability and cost, it is important to study the heat transfer between HTS-CCs and the liquid nitrogen ($LN_2$) bath. This paper presents an experimental method to monitor in real-time the temperature of a quenched HTS-CC during a current pulse. The current and the associated voltage are measured, giving a precise knowledge of the amount of energy dissipated in the tape. These values are compared with an adiabatic numerical thermal model which takes into account heat capacity temperature dependence of the stabilizer and substrate. The result is a precise estimation of the heat transfer to the liquid nitrogen bath at each time step. Measurements were taken on a bare tape and have been repeated using increasing $Kapton^{(R)}$ insulation layers. The different heat exchange regimes can be clearly identified. This experimental method enables us to characterize the recooling process after a quench. Finally, suggestions are done to reduce the temperature increase of the tape, at a rated current and given limitation time, using different thermal insulation thicknesses.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.25-29
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• 2015

In 1987, M. K. Wu and Paul Chu discovered $Y_{1.2}Ba_{0.8}CuO_4$ (YBCO) with critical temperature ($T_c$) of 93 K. It has significantly lowered the cost of cooling of a material up to the point where superconductivity set in. Utilizing the cost reduction of attaining superconductivity and the vast amount of research to understand characteristics of high temperature oxide superconducting materials, there has been effort to use a high temperature superconductor as a coated conductor. It is important to characterize the materials precisely for stable performance before commercializing. We used polarized Raman scattering spectroscopy to study structural and stoichiometric information regarding $YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-x}$, $GdYBa_2Cu_3O_{7-x}$, and $GdBa_2Cu_3O_{7-x}$ produced by three leading groups of producing commercial grade high temperature superconductor coated conductors American Superconductor Corporation, Superpower, and SuNAM.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.20-24
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• 2009

YBCO coated conductors (CC) on the $CeO_2$-buffered IBAD-MgO template were fabricated by metal-organic deposition (MOD) Process with Ba-trifluoroacetate and fluorine-free Y and Cu precursor materials. The precursor solution was coated on $CeO_2$-buffered IBAD MgO templates using the multiple dip-coating method, decomposed into inorganic precursors by pyrolysis up to $400^{\circ}C$ within 3 h, and finally fired at $740{\sim}800^{\circ}C$ in a reduced oxygen atmosphere. Microstructure, texture, and superconducting properties of YBCO films were found highly sensitive to both the firing temperature and time. The high critical current density ($J_C$) of $1.15\;MA/cm^2$ at 77.3K in the self-field could be obtained from $1\;{\mu}m$ thick YBCO CC, fired at $740^{\circ}C$ for 3.5 h, implying that high performance YBCO CC is producible on IBAD MgO template. Further enhancement of $J_C$ values is expected by improving the in-plane texture of $CeO_2$-buffer layer and avoiding the metal substrate contamination.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.29-35
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• 2022

We fabricated MHOS (multi-HTS layers on one substrate) high-temperature superconducting (HTS) REBCO conductors using HTS REBCO coated conductor (CC) A-specimen, which induces an artificial magnetic flux pinning effect, and HTS REBCO CC B-specimen, that does not induce this effect. The superconducting magnetic properties of the fabricated MHOS conductors were examined by measuring their magnetic moment m(H) curves using a physical property measurement system (QD PPMS-14). The critical current density (J_c) characteristics of our four-layered MHOS HTS REBCO conductor specimens such as BAAB, BBBB, and AAAA were lower than those of their two-layered and three-layered counterparts. At a temperature T of 30 K the magnetic flux pinning physical indicator δ values (obtained from the relationship J_c ∝ H^-δ) of the three-layer ABA (δ = 0.35) and two-layer AB (δ = 0.43) specimens were found to be significantly lower than those of the four-layer ABBA (δ = 0.51), BAAB (δ = 0.60), AAAA (δ = 0.78) and BBBB (δ = 0.81) structures.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.180-181
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• 2006

As a rule, high temperature superconducting coated conductors have multi-layered buffers consisting of seed, diffusion barrier and cap layers. Multi-buffer layer deposition requires longer fabrication time. This is one of main reasons which increases fabrication cost Thus, single buffer layer deposition seems to be important for practical coated conductor process. In this study, a single layered buffer deposition of $CeO_2$ for low cost coated conductors has been tried using thermal evaporation technique 100nm-thick $CeO_2$ layers deposited by thermal evaporation were found to act as a diffusion layer. $0.4{\mu}m$-thick SmBCO superconducting layers were deposited by thermal co-evaporation on the $CeO_2$ buffered Ni-W substrate. Critical current of 118A/$cm^2$ was obtained for the SmBCO coated conductors.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.546-549
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• 2007

As a rule, high temperature superconducting coated conductors have multi-layered buffers consisting of seed, diffusion barrier and cap layers. Multi-buffer layer deposition requires longer fabrication time. This is one of main reasons which increases fabrication cost. Thus, single buffer layer deposition seems to be important for practical coated conductor process. In this study, a single layered buffer deposition of $CeO_2$ for low cost coated conductors has been tried using thermal evaporation technique. 100 nm-thick $CeO_2$ layers deposited by thermal evaporation were found to act as a diffusion layer. $1\;{\mu}m-thick$ SmBCO superconducting layers were deposited by thermal co-evaporation on the $CeO_2$ buffered Ni-5%W substrate. Critical current of 90 A/cm was obtained for the SmBCO coated conductors.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.25-30
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• 2015

In order to realize economical applications, it is important to reduce the ac loss of 2G high-temperature superconductor coated conductors. It seems to be reasonable that a multi-filamentary wire can decrease the magnetization loss. In this study, we prepared two samples of YBCO coated conductors with striations. We measured local superconducting properties of both samples by using Low Temperature Scanning Laser and Hall Probe Microscopy (LTSLHPM). The distribution of the local critical temperature of samples was analyzed from experimental results of Low Temperature Scanning Laser Microscopy (LTSLM) near the superconducting transition temperature. According to LTSLM results, spatial distributions of the local critical temperature of both samples are homogeneous. The local current density and the local magnetization in samples were explored from measuring stray fields by using Scanning Hall Probe Microscopy (SHPM). From SHPM results, the remanent field pattern of the one bridge sample in an external magnetic field confirms the Bean's critical state model and the three bridge sample has similar remanent field pattern of the one bridge sample. The local magnetization curve in the three bridge sample was measured from external fields from -500 Oe to 500 Oe. We visualized that the distribution of local hysteresis loss are related in the distribution of the remanent field of the three bridge sample. Although the field dependence of the critical current density must be taken into account, the relation of the local hysteresis loss and the remanent field from Bean's model was useful.