Superconductor flux pinning without columnar defects
There is a superconducting article that includes a superconducting film comprising a substrate, one or more buffer layers, and a high temperature superconducting (HTS) layer. The superconducting layer may be comprised of the chemical composition REBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x , where RE is one or more rare earth elements, for example: Y, La, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu. The superconductor layer is produced using Photo-Assisted Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (PAMOCVD) and contains non-superconducting nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are substantially provided in the a-b plane and naturally oriented. The non-superconducting nanoparticles provide flux pinning centers that improve the critical current properties of the superconducting film.
1 . A thin film composite high-temperature superconducting article comprising:
a substrate;
a buffer layer; and
a high-temperature superconducting layer,
wherein the high-temperature superconducting layer further comprises non-superconducting material randomly distributed in the a-b plane coplanar with the superconducting layer.
2 . The superconducting article of claim 1 , wherein the non-superconducting material is comprised of RE 2 O 3 where RE includes one or more of the following elements: Y, La, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb or Lu.
3 . The superconducting article of claim 2 , wherein the non-superconducting material is comprised of Y 2 O 3 , and the high-temperature superconducting layer comprises no foreign material.
4 . The superconducting article of claim 3 , further wherein the non-superconducting material is formed from an excess of yttria (Y).
5 . The superconducting article of claim 4 , further wherein the non-superconducting material is comprised of 20 atomic % excess Yttrium in the end coating.
6 . The superconducting article of claim 1 , wherein the non-superconducting material distributed randomly along the a-b plane coplanar with the superconducting layer lacks a substantial vertically oriented component in the c-axis.
7 . The superconducting article of claim 1 , wherein the non-superconducting material is comprised of BaMO 3 where M includes one or more of the following elements: Ti, Zr, Al, Hf, Ir, Sn, Nb, Mo, Ta, Ce, and V.
8 . The superconducting article of claim 1 , wherein the non-superconducting material is comprised of nano-particulates.
9 . The superconducting article of claim 1 , wherein the non-superconducting material is non-crystalline.
10 . The superconducting article of claim 1 , wherein the buffer layer and high-temperature superconducting layers are selected to ensure a lattice mismatch between the two layers.
11 . A thin film composite high-temperature superconducting article comprising:
a substrate;
a buffer layer;
a high-temperature superconducting layer, and
wherein the high-temperature superconducting layer further comprises non-superconducting material randomly distributed in the a-b plane coplanar with the superconducting layer; and
a lift factor at 4K, 20T (Ic (4K, 20T)/Ic (77K, self-field)) of 2 or greater.
12 . The superconducting article of claim 11 , wherein the non-superconducting material is comprised of RE 2 O 3 where RE includes one or more of the following elements: Y, La, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb or Lu.
13 . The superconducting article of claim 12 , wherein the non-superconducting material is comprised of Y 2 O 3 , and the high-temperature superconducting layer comprises no foreign material.
14 . The superconducting article of claim 13 , further wherein the non-superconducting material is formed from an excess of yttria (Y).
15 . The superconducting article of claim 14 , further wherein the non-superconducting material is comprised of 20 atomic % excess Yttrium in the end coating.
16 . The superconducting article of claim 11 , wherein the non-superconducting material distributed randomly along the a-b plane coplanar with the superconducting layer lacks a substantial vertically oriented component.
17 . The superconducting article of claim 11 , wherein the lift factor is 3 or greater.
18 . The superconducting article of claim 11 , wherein the superconductor further comprises a critical current (Ic) of 450 A/cm-width or higher at 4K and 20T.
19 . The superconducting article of claim 11 , wherein the non-superconducting material is comprised of nano-particulates.
20 . The superconducting article of claim 11 , wherein the buffer layer and high-temperature superconducting layers are selected to ensure a lattice mismatch between the two layers.