Fabrication of rapidly densified EuBCO targets via spark plasma sintering for enhanced pulsed laser deposition of coated conductors

The density and secondary phase composition of REBCO targets for pulsed laser deposition (PLD) play a critical role in determining the superconducting properties of coated conductors. In this study, we utilized the rapid densification capability of spark plasma sintering (SPS) to fabricate fully dense, fine-grained EuBa2Cu3O7-δ targets with controlled microstructure. By systematically optimizing powder particle size through high-energy ball milling (HEBM) and refining sintering parameters, we achieved precise control over the interplay between phase separation and densification kinetics. Microstructural analysis confirmed the formation of a homogeneous, impurity-free phase distribution with sub-micron grain size. Coated conductors deposited from 3.5 mol% BaHfO3-doped SPS targets exhibited well-developed columnar defect structures. These results demonstrate a new strategy for fabricating high-performance REBCO coated conductors through targeted optimization of the processing route.