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At least 145 records · Page 8

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1995

Growth and analysis of highly oriented (11n) BCSCO films for device research

Films of BCSCO superconductor of the type Bi2CaSr2Cu2Ox have been grown by liquid phase epitaxy method (LPE), using a partially closed growth chamber. The films were grown on (001) and (110) NdGaO3 substrates by slow cooling process in an optimized temperature range below the peritectic melting point (880 C) of Bi2CaSr2Cu2O8. Optimization of parameters, such as seed rotation, soak of initial growth temperature and growth period results in the formation of 2122 phase BCSCO films. The films grown at rotation rates of less than 30 and more than 70 rpm are observed to be associated with the second phase of Sr-Ca-Cu-O system. Higher growth temperatures (is greater than 860 C) also encourage to the formation of this phase. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) measurements show that the films grown on (110) NdGaO3 have a preferred (11 n)-orientation. It is pertinent to mention here that in our earlier results published elsewhere we obtained c-axis oriented Bi2CaSr2Cu2O8 phase films on (001) NdGaO3 substrate. Critical current density is found to be higher for the films grown on (110) than (001) NdGaO3 substrate orientation. The best values of zero resistance (T(sub co)) and critical current density obtained are 87 K and 105 A/sq cm, respectively.

Raina, K. K.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Performance of NbN superconductive tunnel junctions as SIS mixers at 205 GHz

Small area (less than 1 sq micron), high-current-density NbN/MgO/NbN tunnel junctions with I-V characteristics suitable for high-frequency mixers have been fabricated. Mesa-geometry junctions with an area of about 1 sq micron and critical current density of 5-10 kA/sq cm are integrated with superconducting microstrip lines designed to resonate out the junction capacitance. A study was made of the mixer gain and noise performance near 205 GHz as a function of the inductance provided by the microstrip line. This has confirmed, at a high millimeter-wave frequency, values of junction capacitance of 85 fF/sq micron and recently measured values of a magnetic penetration depth of 380 nm. Mixer noise temperatures as low as 134 K at 1.5 K have been obtained for properly tuned junctions. A significant improvement in mixer performance on cooling from 4.2 K to 1.5 K was observed. Edge-geometry junctions with an area of 0.3 sq microns and critical current density of 18-25 kA/sq cm have also been fabricated. These junctions give a mixer noise temperature of 145 K at 4.2 K without the use of integrated tuning elements. These are the best results ever achieved for NbN-based SIS mixers.

Mcgrath, W. R.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Fabrication and Test of C3a: A Six-Layer Subscale Canted $\cos \theta$ Dipole Magnet Using High-Temperature Superconducting corc Wires

REBCO coated conductors have a strong potential for high-field magnet applications. The REBCO technology, however, is still in its infancy for accelerator magnet applications. As part of the U.S. Magnet Development Program (MDP), we developed a six-layer canted cos θ dipole magnet, C3a, using CORC® wires developed by Advanced Conductor Technologies LLC. All the layers were wound using a semi-automated winding machine. Three layers of the magnet used CORC® wires containing the SuperPower “AP” REBCO tapes and the remaining layers used the wires containing the “HM” tapes. At 77 K, both kinds of CORC® wires showed 5% to 10% degradation, after bending to a minimum bend radius of 30 or 35 mm, with respect to the self-field critical current measured before winding. At 4.2 K, the magnet reached 9.5 kA at a ramp rate of 9 A s -1 and generated a dipole field of 1.4 T. Further, the critical current of one layer degraded by 4% after a current transient up to 10.5 kA ramped in an averaged rate of 175 kA s -1 or 20 T s -1 . We confirmed the HM CORC® wire can carry a higher current than the AP CORC® wire at 4.2 K. The test results of the C3a magnet showed that the fabrication and assembly procedure can be used for the upcoming full-scale C3 magnet.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2020

Superconductor with improved flux pinning at low temperatures

A REBCO superconductor tape that can achieve a lift factor greater than or equal to approximately 3.0 or 4.0 in an approximately 3 T magnetic field applied perpendicular to a REBCO tape at approximately 30 K. In an embodiment, the REBCO superconductor tape can include a critical current density less than or equal to approximately 4.2 MA/cm2 at 77 K in the absence of an external magnetic field. In another embodiment, the REBCO superconductor tape can include a critical current density greater than or equal to approximately 12 MA/cm2 at approximately 30 K in a magnetic field of approximately 3 T having an orientation parallel to a c-axis.

Selvamanickam, Venkat↗

DOE OSTI2022

Superconductor with improved flux pinning at low temperatures

Selvamanickam, Venkat↗

NASA NTRS1995

Effects of oxygen stoichiometry on the scaling behaviors of YBa2Cu3O(x) grain boundary weak-links

The effects of oxygen stoichiometry on the transport properties of the pulsed laser deposited YBa2Cu3O(x) bicrystalline grain boundary weak-link junctions were studied. It is found that not only the cross boundary resistive transition foot structure can be manipulated repeatedly with oxygen annealing processes but the junction behaviors are also altered in accordance. In the fully oxygenated state i.e with x = 7.0 in YBa2Cu3O(x) stoichiometry, the junction critical current exhibits a power of 2 scaling behavior with temperature. In contrast, when annealed in the conditions of oxygen-deficient state (e.g with x = 6.9 in YBa2Cu3O(x) stoichiometry) the junction critical current switches to a linear temperature dependence behavior. The results are tentatively attributed to the modification of the structure in the boundary area upon oxygen annealing, which, in turn, will affect the effective dimension of the geometrically constrained weak-link bridges. The detailed discussion on the responsible physical mechanisms as well as the implications of the present results on device applications will be given.

Wu, K. H.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Supercurrent diode effect and finite-momentum superconductors

When both inversion and time-reversal symmetries are broken, the critical current of a superconductor can be nonreciprocal. In this work, we show that, in certain classes of two-dimensional superconductors with antisymmetric spin–orbit coupling, Cooper pairs acquire a finite momentum upon the application of an in-plane magnetic field, and, as a result, critical currents in the direction parallel and antiparallel to the Cooper pair momentum become unequal. This supercurrent diode effect is also manifested in the polarity dependence of in-plane critical fields induced by a supercurrent. These nonreciprocal effects may be found in polar SrTiO 3 film, few-layer MoTe 2 in the Td phase, and twisted bilayer graphene in which the valley degree of freedom plays a role analogous to spin.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2023

Interface Design for High‐Performance All‐Solid‐State Lithium Batteries

All‐solid‐state batteries suffer from high interface resistance and lithium dendrite growth leading to low Li plating/stripping Coulombic efficiency (CE) of <90% and low critical current density at high capacity. Here, in this work, both challenges are simultaneously addressed and the Li plating/stripping CE is significantly increased to 99.6% at 0.2 mA cm −2 /0.2 mAh cm −2 , and critical current density (CCD) of > 3.0 mA cm −2 /3.0 mAh cm −2 by inserting a mixed ionic‐electronic conductive (MIEC) and lithiophobic LiF‐C‐Li 3 N‐Bi nanocomposite interlayer between Li 6 PS 5 Cl electrolyte and Li anode. The highly lithiophobic LiF‐C‐Li 3 N‐Bi interlayer with high ionic conductivity (10 −5 S cm −1 ) and low electronic conductivity (3.4×10 −7 S cm −1 ) enables Li to plate on the current collector (CC) surface rather than on Li 6 PS 5 Cl surface avoiding Li 6 PS 5 Cl electrolyte reduction. During initial Li plating on CC, Li penetrates into porous LiF‐C‐Li 3 N‐Bi interlayer and lithiates Bi nanoparticles into Li 3 Bi. The lithiophilic Li 3 Bi and Li 3 N nanoparticles in LiF‐C‐Li 3 N‐Li 3 Bi sub‐interlayer will move to CC along with plated Li, forming LiF‐C/Li 3 N‐Li 3 Bi lithiophobic/lithiophilic sublayer during the following Li stripping. This interlayer enables Co 0.1 Fe 0.9 S 2 /Li 6 PS 5 Cl/Li cell with an areal capacity of 1.4 mAh cm −2 to achieve a cycle life of >850 cycles at 150 mA g −1 . The lithiophobic/lithiophilic interlayer enables solid‐state metal batteries to simultaneously achieve high energy and long cycle life.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

NASA NTRS1972

Magnetic flux penetration into superconducting thin films.

The quantum-interference technique developed by Meservey (1965) is used to measure directly the absolute value of the penetration depth in lead in tin superconducting thin films. The technique assumes that the change in phase of the superconducting wave function around any contour within the superconductor must be 2 pi n, where n is a nonnegative integer. Results show that the critical current of a superconducting interferometer with two parallel junctions is not strictly periodic in the applied magnetic flux with a period equal to the flux quantum because of the magnetic field dependence of the critical currents of the junctions.

Peabody, G. E.↗

NASA NTRS1991

The magnitude of the magnetic field near the surface of a high-T(sub c) superconductor with a trapped flux

In 1986, much excitement was caused by the discovery of a class of materials that conducted electricity with zero resistance at temperatures above the boiling temperature of liquid nitrogen. This excitement was checked by the difficulties of manufacturing ceramics and the usefulness of high temperature superconductors that were restricted by their becoming high resistive conductors at small current densities. A lack of pinning of the magnetic field flux caused the return of high resistance as the current was increased in these materials. A study of the magnetic field near the surface of a high temperature superconductor is the first step in the search for a means of pinning the flux lines and increasing their critical current densities. The author found that a comparison between the defects in the surface of the superconductor and the magnetic field showed only a change in the field near the notch and the edge. No correlation was found between the surface grain or structure and the oscillations in the magnetic field. The observed changes in the magnetic field show resonances which may give an indication of the non-flux pinning in these superconductors. A flux pinning mechanism will increase the critical current densities; therefore, other methods of determining this field should be tried. The author proposes using a flux gate magnetometer with a detector wound on a ferrite core to measure the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field.

Overcash, Dan R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Paramagnetic Precipitates May Raise Supercurrent

Addition of Mn to Ti/Nb superconducting alloy increases critical current. Adding Mn to Ti/Nb alloy has little effect on major superconducting phase, but confers strong paramagnetic susceptibility on alpha-phase particles. beta-phase particles become stronger flux pinners, resulting in increase in critical current.

Collings, E. W.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Synthesis and superconducting properties of Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O films

Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O superconducting films were synthesized by sputtering either from a single target or from two oxide targets in a symmetric configuration. Films with zero resistance Tc of up to 122 K were obtained after various postannealing treatments at 870-950 C under an oxygen atmosphere. The composition of the films is not very homogeneous on the submicrometer scale. The critical current of these films at 77 K is in the 1000 A/sq cm to 10,000 A/sq cm range, which is much smaller than that of films prepared on SrTiO3 and LaAlO3 substrates. The low critical current density in these films is probably due to the granularity in the films. The morphology, structure, and magnetic and superconducting properties of the films were studied. Films prepared by two different sputtering techniques have similar results which depend mostly on the film compositions and their annealing conditions. It is found that the induced magnetic flux in the film decreases rapidly with increasing temperature, indicating weak flux pinning.

Liou, S. H.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Fabrication of a Kilopixel Array of Superconducting Microcalorimeters with Microstripline Wiring

A document describes the fabrication of a two-dimensional microcalorimeter array that uses microstrip wiring and integrated heat sinking to enable use of high-performance pixel designs at kilopixel scales (32 X 32). Each pixel is the high-resolution design employed in small-array test devices, which consist of a Mo/Au TES (transition edge sensor) on a silicon nitride membrane and an electroplated Bi/Au absorber. The pixel pitch within the array is 300 microns, where absorbers 290 microns on a side are cantilevered over a silicon support grid with 100-micron-wide beams. The high-density wiring and heat sinking are both carried by the silicon beams to the edge of the array. All pixels are wired out to the array edge. ECR (electron cyclotron resonance) oxide underlayer is deposited underneath the sensor layer. The sensor (TES) layer consists of a superconducting underlayer and a normal metal top layer. If the sensor is deposited at high temperature, the ECR oxide can be vacuum annealed to improve film smoothness and etch characteristics. This process is designed to recover high-resolution, single-pixel x-ray microcalorimeter performance within arrays of arbitrarily large format. The critical current limiting parts of the circuit are designed to have simple interfaces that can be independently verified. The lead-to-TES interface is entirely determined in a single layer that has multiple points of interface to maximize critical current. The lead rails that overlap the TES sensor element contact both the superconducting underlayer and the TES normal metal

Chervenak, James↗

NASA NTRS1990

Evaluation, development, and characterization of superconducting materials for space applications

The anisotropic electromagnetic features of a grain-aligned YBa2Cu3O(x) bulk sample derived from a process of long-time partial melt growth were investigated by the measurements of direct current magnetization (at 77 K) and alternating current susceptibility as a function of temperature, with the fields applied parallel and perpendicular to the c axis, respectively. The extended Bean model was further studied and applied to explain the experimental results. Upon comparison of the grain-aligned sample with pure single crystal materials, it is concluded that because of the existence of more effective pinning sites in the grain-aligned sample, not only its critical current density perpendicular to the c axis is improved, but the one parallel to the c axis is improved even more significantly. The anisotropy in the critical current densities in the grain-aligned sample at 77 K is at least one to two orders of magnitude smaller than in the pure single crystal. The measurement of anisotropy of alternating current susceptibility as a function of temperature, especially its imaginary part, shows that there are still some residues of interlayer weak links in the grain-aligned samples, but they are quite different from and far less serious than the weak links in the sintered sample.

Thorpe, Arthur N.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Shielding and flux trapping properties of high temperature superconductors in the shape of hollow cylinders

Allowing for a field-dependent critical current density, the authors calculate the magnetic field that can be supported by hollow cylinders of varying wall thickness. An adiabatically stable field of 1.0 T can be shielded by or trapped in a cylinder with a wall thickness of 0.4 cm if the critical current density varies linearly with magnetic field and has a value of 104 A/sq cm at a field of 1.0 T. Such a current density appears to be within reach of present state-of-the-art melt-processed YBa2Cu3O7 (123) materials.

Israelsson, U. E.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Development of Prototype HTS Components for Magnetic Suspension Applications

We have concentrated on developing prototype lengths of bismuth and thallium based silver sheathed superconductors by the powder-in-tube approach to fabricate high temperature superconducting (HTS) components for magnetic suspension applications. Long lengths of mono and multi filament tapes are presently being fabricated with critical current densities useful for maglev and many other applications. We have recently demonstrated the prototype manufacture of lengths exceeding 1 km of Bi-2223 multi filament conductor. Long lengths of thallium based multi-filament conductor have also been fabricated with practical levels of critical current density and improved field dependence behavior. Test coils and magnets have been built from these lengths and characterized over a range of temperatures and background fields to determine their performance. Work is in progress to develop, fabricate and test HTS windings that will be suitable for magnetic suspension, levitation and other electric power related applications.

Haldar, P.↗

DOE OSTI2023

High-current, double-sided REBCO tapes by advanced MOCVD

Abstract An approach to fabricate double-sided, high-current RE-Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7− δ (REBCO) tapes for use in ultrahigh-field superconducting magnets operating at and above 20 T is demonstrated. In this work, we modified our advanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition (A-MOCVD) reactor to deposit REBCO films on each side of a double-sided buffer substrate in a single pass. The composition, thickness, and critical current ( I c ) of 1 µ m-thick REBCO films on each side of the double-sided tapes are compared. Double-sided REBCO tape with 2 µ m-thick films on each side showed self-field critical current density ( J c ) over 2.6 MA cm −2 at 77 K and 0 T. 15%-Zr-added double-sided REBCO tape showed I c over 530 A/4 mm at 20 K, 20 T.

Paidpilli, M.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Josephson detection of time-reversal symmetry broken superconductivity in SnTe nanowires

A Josephson junction (JJ) couples the supercurrent flowing between two weakly linked superconductors to the phase difference between them via a current-phase relation (CPR). While a sinusoidal CPR is expected for conventional junctions with insulating weak links, devices made from some exotic materials may give rise to unconventional CPRs and unusual Josephson effects. In this work, we present such a case: we investigate the proximity-induced superconductivity in SnTe nanowires by incorporating them as weak links in JJs and observe a deviation from the standard CPR. We report on indications of an unexpected breaking of time-reversal symmetry in these devices, detailing the unconventional characteristics that reveal this behavior. These include an asymmetric critical current in the DC Josephson effect, a prominent second harmonic in the AC Josephson effect, and a magnetic diffraction pattern with a minimum in critical current at zero magnetic field. The analysis examines how multiband effects and the experimentally visualized ferroelectric domain walls give rise to this behavior, giving insight into the Josephson effect in materials that possess ferroelectricity and/or multiband superconductivity.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗