Grain boundaries in YBa2Cu3O7-delta films grown on bicrystalline Ni substrates

In order to investigate the alternating transport properties introduced by individual grain boundaries of rolling assisted biaxially textured substrat e based YBa2Cu3O7-delta (YBCO) coated conductors, the growth of well define d bicrystalline films on buffered metallic substrates is desirable. Bicryst alline YBCO films were successfully prepared on Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 (CGO) buffe red bicrystalline Ni foils. The Ni foils are grown epitaxially on a KCI bic rystal, The optimum conditions of epitaxial growth for each layer and the s uperconducting properties of the YBCO films were determined. A similar to 6 degrees [0 0 1] tilt grain boundary was investigated in more detail. We su cceeded to grow an epitaxial CGO single buffer layer with a full width at h alf maximum of only 3.50. The YBCO films grew perfectly epitaxially and sho wed good superconducting properties like a T-onset of 88 K, a j(c) of 1.4 x 10(7) A/cm(2) in the undisturbed sections of the film and 1 x 10(6) A/cm(2 ) across the grain boundary (5 K, 5 mT). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.