Melt processing for obtaining REBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/ superconductors (RE=Nd, Sm) with high T/sub c/ and large J/sub c/

An oxygen-controlled melt growth (OCMG) process has been employed for NdBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/ (Nd123) and SmBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/ (Sm123) superconductors for a comparative study. Both Nd123 and Sm123 samples melt-grown in reduced oxygen atmospheres exhibited an enhanced superconducting transition temperature (T/sub c/) with a sharp transition and large critical current density (J/sub c/) in a high field region at 77 K and for the applied field parallel to the c-axis of samples (H/c). For Nd123, a preferential formation of high T/sub c/ phase in a low oxygen partial pressure (P(O/sub 2/)) could be qualitatively described considering the thermodynamic stability boundaries of the Nd/sub 1+x/Ba/sub 2-x/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/ solid solutions on the LOG[P(O/sub 2/)] vs. 1/T (K/sup 9/-1) phase diagram. A long-term oxygen annealing study for an OCMG-processed Nd123 sample revealed that the annealing temperature should be as low as 300/spl deg/C.>