AN ORIENTED HIGH TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTOR FABRICATED BY A NOVEL TECHNIQUE FOR USE IN POWER APPLICATIONS AT LIQUID NITROGEN TEMPERATURES

THE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF SUPERCONDUCTORS WITH CRITICAL TEMPERATURE ABOVE LIQUID NITROGEN IS EXPECTED TO GREATLY EXPAND THE POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS FOR SUPERCONDUCTORS. TO BE TECHNICALLY AND COMMERCIALLY USEFUL FOR POWER APPLICATIONS, THESE MATERIALS WILL HAVE TO BE INCORPORATED INTO WIRE OR TAPE FORM. THE EFFORTS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL FOCUS ON INNOVATIVE DESIGN AND FABRICATION METHODS FOR A HIGH TEMPERATURE YBA(2)CU(3)O(7)-X (123) SUPERCONDUCTOR PROCESS FOR WIRES AND/OR TAPES. DEMONSTRATION OF KEY COMPONENTS OF FABRICATION WILL ALSO BE UNDERTAKEN ON SMALL SAMPLES.