FABRICATION OF Y-BA-CU-O SUPERCONDUCTING FILMS BY ELECTROPHORESIS WITH THE USE OF FIRING IN HELIUM AMBIENCE

Superconducting films of YBaCuO were fabricated on Ag/MgO substrates by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) and subsequent firing in helium (He) ambience. It has been shown that the firing in He ambience is capable of developing the EPD film in a superconductor at a lower temperature and for a shorter time, compared with that in O2 ambience as follows: after the firing in He at 830-degrees-C for 30 min, the EPD film becomes superconducting, showing zero resistance at 83 K. Further observations of XRD and SEM have shown that the improvement in T(c) of the EPD films is accomplished by partially melting (not by fully melting) YBaCuO powders.