Biaxially aligned template films fabricated by inclined-substrate deposition for YBCO-coated conductor applications

Inclined substrate deposition (ISD) has the potential for rapid production of high-quality biaxially textured buffer layers, which are important for YBCO-coated conductor applications. We have grown biaxially textured MgO films by ISD at deposition rates of 20 - 100 Å/sec. Columnar grains with a roof-tile surface structure were observed in the ISD-MgO films. X-ray pole figure analysis revealed that the [002] planes of the ISD-MgO films are tilted at an angle from the substrate normal. A small φ-scan full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of ≈ 9° was observed on MgO films deposited at an inclination angle of 55°. In-plane texture in the ISD MgO films developed in the first 0.5 μm from the interface, then stabilized with further increases in film thickness. YBCO films deposited by pulsed laser deposition on ISD-MgO-buffered Hastelloy C276 substrates were biaxially aligned with the c-axis parallel to the substrate normal. T_c of 91 K with a sharp transition and transport J_c of 5.5 × 10⁵ A/cm² at 77 K in self-field were measured on a YBCO film that was 0.46-μm thick, 4-mm wide, 10-mm long.