Synthesis of SrTiO3 thin films for coated conductor applications by aqueous chemical solution deposition

Abstract

In recent years, the need for new buffer architectures for coated conductors has grown exponentially. With the conventional CeO2 buffer layers problems regarding reproducibility and chemical inertness are observed, giving rise to the formation of intermediate phases and a strong decrease in superconducting properties. A promising material for replacing the cerium oxide appears to be yttrium bismuth oxide (YBiO3) as it shows excellent crystallographic and chemical compatibility with YBa2Cu3O7-x. To ensure the sustainability of the obtained coatings, the YBO thin film is synthesized starting from aqueous solutions. These solutions were deposited on single crystal LaAlO3, La2Zr2O7/Ni-5%W and YSZABAD/SS by dip-coating. Highly epitaxial and smooth layers were achieved, allowing the subsequent deposition of superconducting YBCO with critical current densities up to 3.6 MA/cm² in the case of single crystal substrates