Rapid Doubling of the Critical Current of YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ Coated Conductors for Viable High-Speed Industrial Processing

TL;DR

This study shows that rapid oxygen irradiation significantly boosts the critical current of YBa2Cu3O7−δ superconducting tapes, enabling high-speed industrial processing without altering production methods.

Contribution

It introduces a fast, scalable oxygen irradiation technique to enhance superconducting tape performance suitable for industrial applications.

Findings

Critical current doubled after irradiation

Process is compatible with existing manufacturing lines

Enhanced vortex pinning observed in TEM images

Abstract

We demonstrate that 3.5-MeV oxygen irradiation can markedly enhance the in-field critical current of commercial 2nd generation superconducting tapes with an exposure time of just one second per 0.8 cm2. The speed demonstrated here is now at the level required for an industrial reel-to-reel post-processing. The irradiation is made on production line samples through the protective silver coating and does not require any modification of the growth process. From TEM imaging, we identify small clusters as the main source of increased vortex pinning.