High-rate reel-to-reel continuous coating of biaxially textured magnesium oxide thin films for coated conductors

Biaxially textured thin films of magnesium oxide (MgO) were deposited by el ectron beam evaporation at deposition rates of 0.6 mum/min on moving Ni-bas ed alloy tapes as oriented buffer layers for coated conductors. Moving subs trates were inclined with respect to the atomic vapor and translated throug h collimated dual vapor sources. Growth anisotropy in the MgO and sell-shad owing effects due to the inclined angle combine to create biaxial texture i n the deposited thin films. MgO films grown to a thickness of 2.0 mum with this inclined-substrate deposition technique have yielded in-plane textures of 10-12 degrees full-width half-maximum (FWHM). Results of a parametric s tudy on the in-plane texture in short-length static-mode samples are presen ted, along with preliminary results of long-length samples deposited under translating conditions.