Ion-beam assisted deposition of bi-axially aligned MgO template films for YBCO coated conductors

We report the results of experiments with ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) of MgO using in-situ monitoring with Reflected High-Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED). Strips of polished Haynes 242 and Inconel 625 nickel-based super-alloys have been used as substrates for these experiments. The in-plane texture of the MgO, as measured by X-ray /spl phi/ scan, resulted in FWHM values between 11 and 15/spl deg/. Using pulsed-laser deposition, the IBAD MgO template films were then overcoated with buffer layer films and a final superconducting film of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta//. The best superconducting transport properties measured on these YBCO films were: an Ic (75 K, self-field, 1 cm wide) of 41.6 A, and a narrow-bridge J/sub c/ (1.35 /spl mu/m thick film) of 0.46 MA/cm/sup 2/.