Grain boundary networks in y123 coated conductors: Formation, properties and simulation

The grain boundary (GS) network in biaxially textured YBa2Cu3Ox (Y123) coat ed conductors is the key to their transport properties and determines the u pper limit for the critical curent density. In this contribution we report on detailed EBSD (Electron Backscattering Diffraction) investigations of th e formation of these GB networks in Y123 films deposited on highly biaxiall y textured metallic substrates and the comparison of the measured critical current density with simulations based on the exact knowledge of the underl ying GB network. Highly cube textured Ni-tapes were prepared by rolling and recrystallizatio n and detailed texture maps were determined by EBSD before and after the de position of Y123 films by thermal evaporation or Pulsed Laser Deposition. T his allowed the quantitative evaluation of both the Y123-growth on differen t oriented Ni-grains and the GB misorientation network which determines the critical current density. This exact texture information was also used to calculate the critical current density based on the well known exponential j(c)-dependence across Y123 tilt GBs and is compared to the measured transp ort jc across the same substrate area.