Drastic improvement of surface structure and current-carrying ability in YBa2Cu3O7 films by introducing multilayered structure

Much smoother surfaces and significantly improved superconducting properties of relatively thick YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) films have been achieved by introducing a multilayered structure with alternating main YBCO and additional NdBCO layers. The surface of thick (1 microm) multilayers has almost no holes compared to YBCO films. Critical current density (Jc) have been drastically increased up to a factor > 3 in 1 microm multilayered structures compared to YBCO films over entire temperature and applied magnetic filed range. Moreover, Jc values measured in thick multilayers are even larger than in much thinner YBCO films. The Jc and surface improvement have been analysed and attributed to growth conditions and corresponding structural peculiarities.Comment: Accepted to Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, June (2006), in press 4 pages, 3 figure

Overcritical state in superconducting round wires sheathed by iron

Magnetic measurements carried out on MgB_2 superconducting round wires have shown that the critical current density J_c(B_a) in wires sheathed by iron can be significantly higher than that in the same bare (unsheathed) wires over a wide applied magnetic field B_a range. The magnetic behavior is, however, strongly dependent on the magnetic history of the sheathed wires, as well as on the wire orientation with respect to the direction of the applied field. The behavior observed can be explained by magnetic interaction between the soft magnetic sheath and superconducting core, which can result in a redistribution of supercurrents in the flux filled superconductor. A phenomenological model explaining the observed behavior is proposed.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Properties of superconducting MgB_2 wires: "in-situ" versus "ex-situ" reaction technique

We have fabricated a series of iron-sheathed superconducting wires prepared by the powder-in-tube technique from (MgB_2)_{1-x}:(Mg+2B)_x initial powder mixtures taken with different proportions, so that x varies from 0 to 1. It turned out that "ex-situ" prepared wire (x = 0) has considerable disadvantages compared to all the other wires in which "in-situ" assisted (0 < x < 1) or pure "in-situ" (x = 1) preparation was used due to weaker inter-grain connectivity. As a result, higher critical current densities J_c were measured over the entire range of applied magnetic fields B_a for all the samples with x > 0. Pinning of vortices in MgB_2 wires is shown to be due to grain boundaries. J_c(B_a) behavior is governed by an interplay between the transparency of grain boundaries and the amount of "pinning" grain boundaries. Differences between thermo-magnetic flux-jump instabilities in the samples and a possible threat to practical applications are also discussed.Comment: To be published in Supercond. Sci. Technol. (2003), in pres

Comparison of small-field behavior in MgB2, Low- and high-temperature superconductors

Different types of superconductors have been investigated at small magnetic fields (Ba) over wide temperature (T) ranges at different Ba orientations. It has been shown that the temperature dependence of the characteristic field (B*), separating the Ba-independent critical current density (Jc) plateau (single vortex pinning regime) and the region with Jc(Ba) (collective pinning), can be attributed either to the temperature dependence of the magnetic penetration depth for Nb-film and MgB2 bulk superconductors, or to thermally activated processes for Bi-based superconductors and YBa2Cu3O7−8 superconducting films. In both cases the vortex pinning influence appears to have a secondary role, affecting the effective vortex depinning radius. An exception in such B*(T) behavior is considered for Nb film when the magnetic field has its considerable component applied perpendicular to the main surface of the film

Drastic improvement of surface structure and current-carrying ability in YBa2Cu3O7 films by introducing multilayered structure

Much smoother surfaces and significantly improved superconducting properties of relatively thick YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) films have been achieved by introducing a multilayered structure with alternating main YBCO and additional NdBCO layers. The surface of thick (1 µm) multilayers has almost no holes compared to YBCO films. Critical current density (Jc) has been drastically increased up to a factor \u3e3 in 1 µm multilayered structures compared to YBCO films over entire temperature and applied magnetic field range. Moreover, Jc values measured in thick multilayers are even larger than in much thinner YBCO films. The Jc and surface improvement have been analyzed and attributed to growth conditions and corresponding structural peculiarities

Direct visualization of iron sheath shielding effect in MgB_2 superconducting wires

Local magneto-optical imaging and global magnetization measurement techniques were used in order to visualize shielding effects in the superconducting core of MgB_2 wires sheathed by ferromagnetic iron (Fe). The magnetic shielding can provide a Meissner-like state in the superconducting core in applied magnetic fields up to ~1T. The maximum shielding fields are shown to correlate with the saturation fields of magnetization in Fe-sheaths. The shielding has been found to facilitate the appearance of an overcritical state, which is capable of achieving a critical current density (J_c) in the core which is larger than J_c in the same wire without the sheath by a factor of ~2. Other effects caused by the magnetic interaction between the sheath and the superconducting core are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure