Creation of high-pinning microstructures in post production YBCO coated conductors
A method comprising irradiating a polycrystalline rare earth metal-alkaline earth metal-transition metal-oxide superconductor layer with protons having an energy of 1 to 6 MeV. The irradiating process produces an irradiated layer that comprises randomly dispersed defects with an average diameter in the range of 1-10 nm.
1. A method, comprising:
irradiating a polycrystalline rare earth metal-alkaline earth metal-transition metal-oxide superconductor layer comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of metal oxide precipitates, columnar defects, and stacking faults with protons having an energy of 1 to 6 MeV, such that the irradiated layer comprises uniformly distributed randomly dispersed defects with an average diameter in the range of 1-10 nm and the at least one selected from the group consisting of metal oxide precipitates, columnar defects, and stacking faults.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rare earth metal-alkaline earth metal-transition metal-oxide superconductor layer comprises a material with the general formula:
(RE)Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7
where RE is at least one rare earth metal.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein RE comprises Yttrium.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the irradiation has a fluence of at least 1.5×10 16 p/cm 2 .
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining the layer at a temperature of less than 200° C. throughout the irradiation.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising cooling the layer during the irradiation.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the layer is disposed over a textured substrate.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the irradiated layer exhibits a superconducting critical current density measured in a c-axis applied magnetic field of at least 1.5 T at a temperature of 27 K at least 10% greater than a reference material of the same chemical composition that does not include the randomly dispersed defects.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a metallic protective layer is disposed over the polycrystalline rare earth metal-alkaline earth metal-transition metal-oxide superconductor layer, and irradiating the polycrystalline rare earth metal-alkaline earth metal-transition metal-oxide superconductor layer comprises passing the protons through the metallic protective layer.