Rapid Doubling of the Critical Current of YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ Coated Conductors for Viable High-Speed Industrial Processing

摘要

We demonstrate that 3.5-MeV oxygen irradiation can markedly enhance thein-field critical current of commercial 2nd generation superconducting tapeswith an exposure time of just one second per 0.8 cm2. The speed demonstratedhere is now at the level required for an industrial reel-to-reelpost-processing. The irradiation is made on production line samples through theprotective silver coating and does not require any modification of the growthprocess. From TEM imaging, we identify small clusters as the main source ofincreased vortex pinning.