Coated conductor

1. Process for producing a coated conductor with essentially round cross section comprising the steps of:

providing a second substrate layer onto a topmost layer of a first pre-fabricated tape-shaped coated conductor wherein the first pre-fabricated tape-shaped coated conductor includes a first tape-shaped substrate and a high temperature superconductor layer, and optionally, at least one buffer layer located between the substrate and the high temperature superconductor layer, for bringing the high temperature superconductor layer of the pre-fabricated tape-shaped coated conductor into the region of neutral axis position; and

bending the first pre-fabricated tape-shaped coated conductor covered by the second substrate layer around its longitudinal axis for obtaining a coated conductor with essentially round cross section with the high temperature superconductor layer being sandwiched between a second side substrate layer and a first outside substrate layer and wherein said high temperature superconductor layer is a continuous layer of essentially round cross section covering the substrate.

2. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the second substrate layer is made from the same material than the substrate layer of the first pre-fabricated tape-shaped coated conductor and has the same thickness.

3. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the second substrate layer is a further pre-fabricated tape-shaped coated conductor, and

wherein the further pre-fabricated tape-shaped coated conductor is applied onto the first pre-fabricated tape-shaped coated conductor with the high temperature superconductor layers being face-to-face.

4. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the high temperature superconductor is selected from the group consisting of bismuth-based, thallium-based, yttrium-based and mercury-based ceramic oxide superconductors.

5. Process according to claim 4 , wherein the ceramic oxide high temperature superconductor has the general formula ReBaCuO y with Re being at least one rare-earth element selected from the group consisting of Y, La, Lu, Sc, Ce, Nd and Yb with y representing the oxygen content.

6. Process according to claim 5 , wherein the high temperature superconductor material is Y 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O y or Y 2 BaCuO y .

7. Process according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the substrate and the at least one buffer layer of the first pre-fabricated tape-shaped coated conductor has a biaxial texture.

8. Process according to claim 1 , wherein said first pre-fabricated tape-shaped coated conductor includes at least one buffer layer located between the tape-shaped substrate and the high temperature superconductor layer.

9. Coated conductor with a substantially round cross section obtainable by a process according to claim 1 , wherein the coated conductor is composed of a first coated conductor having a substrate,

a high temperature superconductor layer and, optionally, at least one buffer layer located between the substrate and the high temperature superconductor layer, and

a further substrate layer,

wherein in the coated conductor with substantially round cross section the high temperature superconductor layer is sandwiched between the substrate layer of the first coated conductor and the further substrate layer and wherein said high temperature superconductor layer is a continuous layer of essentially round cross section covering the substrate, and

wherein the high temperature superconductor layer is located in the region of the neutral axis position.

10. Coated conductor according to claim 9 , wherein at least one of the substrate and the at least one buffer layer of the first coated conductor has a biaxial texture.

11. Coated conductor according to claim 9 , wherein the thickness of the further substrate is within +/−5 μm of the thickness of the substrate, of the first coated conductor.

12. Coated conductor according to claim 9 , wherein the second substrate is a further pre-fabricated coated conductor.