SEED CRYSTALS FOR MELT PROCESSING SUPERCONDUCTORS

摘要

A method of fabricating bulk superconducting material including RBa2Cu3Ox comprising heating compressed powder oxides and/or carbonates of R and Ba and Cu present in mole ratios to form RBa2Cu3Ox in physical contact with an oxide single crystal seed to a temperature sufficient to form a liquid phase in the RBa2Cu3Ox while maintaining the single crystal seed solid to grow the superconducting material and thereafter cooling to provide a material including RBa2Cu3Ox. R is Y or La and the single crystal seed has a lattice mismatch with RBa2Cu3Ox of less than about 2 % at the growth temperature. The starting material may be such that the final product contains a minor amount of R2BaCuO5.