Chemically coated buffer layers deposited on rolled Ni substrates for HTS coated conductors

For fabricating long length YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x (YBCO) coated conductors with high critical current density (J_c), easily scalable processing techniques for buffer layers are very important. In this paper, we report on the deposition of buffer layers using dip and spin coating on nickel substrates. The substrates were fabricated using the RABiTS approach. The solution was prepared from metalorganic precursors and was deposited on the Ni substrates using the dip and spin coating techniques. The films were annealed at 900°C-1150°C for 2 hours under 5% H ₂-Ar gas flow. X-ray diffraction (XRD) of the buffer layers on the Ni tape shows a good out of plane alignment. The pole figure indicates a single cube-on-cube texture, and SEM observations reveal a continuous, dense and crack-free microstructure for the chemically coated buffers. These results offer the potential of further manufacturing coated conductors with high current density.