Strontium titanate buffer layers deposited on rolled Ni substrates with metal organic deposition

SrTiO₃ buffer layers have been deposited on rolled Ni substrates using metal organic deposition (MOD) for HTS-coated conductors. The MOD process is based on the formation of the SrTiO₃ layer coated on the surface of a Ni substrate using dip-coating as well as spin-coating techniques from a solution-based precursor, which is prepared by dissolving strontium acetate and titanium (IV) butoxide in acetic acid and methanol. The films were annealed at 950 °C for 2 h under 5% Hz-Ar gas flow. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that the buffer layers on the Ni tape are highly oriented. The pole figure indicates a single cube-on-cube texture in addition to SEM and AFM observations revealing a continuous, dense, smooth and crack-free microstructure for the coated buffer. These results offer the potential of further manufacturing coated conductors with high current density.