High critical current densities of YBa2Cu3O7−x thin films on buffered technical substrates

C -axis oriented YBa2Cu3O7−x (YBCO) thin films were deposited on polycrystalline metallic tapes buffered with yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ). The in-plane alignment of the YSZ layers achieved by simultaneous ion bombardment of the growing film (ion beam assisted deposition) and of the postdeposited YBCO thin films was studied by x-ray diffraction as a function of the buffer layer thickness. A significant improvement of the in-plane texture, achieved for buffer layers exceeding a thickness of about 1.5 μm, resulted in high critical current densities above 106 A/cm2 of the YBCO films.