Fabrication of buffer layer for YBCO coated conductor on cube textured Ag substrate

In case of the cube textured (CUTE) Ag substrate, recrystallization process of as-rolled Ag substrate in various atmosphere changed surface flatness o f the substrate. When the substrate was heated in a vacuum chamber with a o xygen partial pressure of less than 1 x 10(-5) Torr at 600 degreesC, the su rface average roughness (R-a) of the substrate was less than 120 nm. Then t he oxygen was introduced into the vacuum chamber to fabricate CeO2 buffer l ayer on the substrate by pulsed laser deposition. After the oxygen pressure reached to 50-150 mTorr, CeO2 layer was deposited on the CUTE Ag substrate immediately. By reducing the influence of oxygen to surface roughness of t he substrate, R-a of the CeO2 buffered CUTE Ag substrate was 30 nm. (C) 200 1 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.