Low loss striated YBa2Cu3O7-d coated conductor with filamentary current sharing

A simple investigation into the properties of weakly linked filaments in striated YBa2Cu3O7-d (YBCO) coated conductors has been performed. Such weak-link connections may arise in two different contexts within the coated conductors, the one case being the occurrence of unintentional connections. However, it may be desirable to intentionally induce the weak-link connections in order to allow a current sharing between the filaments. This allows the localized degradation of a given filament to be circumvented at a small cost in terms of the added losses and magnetization. This problem has been treated mathematically with a comparison of the superconductor weak linking in contrast to the normal-metal-induced current sharing. The estimates for target values of filament coupling are deduced, and the results in terms of magnetization are then determined. The YBCO samples created, using the pulsed laser deposition, are described that have these properties. The samples consist of one control and one striated sample. The magnetization response of these samples is then considered in terms of the expressions developed. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.