A modified sol–gel method was used to fabricate (Pb0.25Ba0.15Sr0.6)TiO3 (PBST) thin films from the precursorsolution with 0, 10 and 27V% (volume percent) 2-methoxyethanol on a Pt/Ti/SiO/Si substrate. The structural anddielectric properties of PBST thin films were investigated as a function of 2-methoxyethanol concentration in theprecursor solution. XRD and SEM analysis showed that we can get pure PBST perovskite phase and relative finedensity thin films with smooth surface only using proper concentration (10V%) of 2-methoxyethanol in the precursorsolution. Furthermore, the thin film deposited from precursor with 10V% 2-methoxyethanol has the highest dielectricconstant of 931 and the least loss factor of 0.031 and its tunability and figure of merit (FOM) are 76% and 24.1%,respectively. The results show that the structural and dielectric properties of PBST thin films are strongly dependent onthe 2-methoxyethanol in the precursor solution.

Biaxially textured MgO template films have been fabricated on a Ni-based alloy substrate (Hastelloy C276) by inclined-substrate deposition (ISD), using electron beam evaporation, at the high deposition rate of 120-300nm/min. Buffer films were subsequently deposited on these template films, and YBCO films were finally deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Crystal textures of the YBCO films were examined by X-ray pole figure/-and x-scans analysis. Good in-plane and out-of-plane textures were observed, with MgO(002)/-scan full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) of 10.0 and x-scan FWHM of 5.5, for a film deposited with an incline angle of 55. YBCO films were epitaxially grown on ISD MgO-buffered Hastelloy C276 substrates by PLD. Tc of 90 K with sharp transition and transport Jc of 1:4 105 A/cm2 were obtained on a 0.5-lm-thick YBCO film at 77 K in zero field.

Biaxially textured magnesium oxide (MgO) films deposited by inclined-substrate deposition (ISD) are desirable for rapid production of high-quality template layers for YBCO-coated conductors. High-quality YBCO films were grown on ISD MgO buffered metallic substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). 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 full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of≈9◦ was observed in the φ-scan for ISD MgO films deposited at an inclination angle of 55◦. In-plane texture in the ISD MgO films developed in the first≈0.5μm from the substrate surface, and then stabilized with further increases in film thickness. Yttria-stabilized zirconia and ceria buffer layers were deposited on the ISD MgO grown on metallic substrates prior to the deposition of YBCO by PLD. YBCO films with the c-axis parallel to the substrate normal have a unique orientation relationship with the ISD MgO films. An orientation relationship of YBCO 100 MgO 111 and YBCO 010 MgO 110 was measured by x-ray pole figure analyses and confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. A Tc of 91 K with a sharp transition and transport Jc of 5.5×105 A cm−2 at 77 K in self-field were measured on a YBCO film that was 0.46 μm thick, 4 mmwide and 10 mm long.

Highly textured MgO films were grown by the inclined-substrate deposition (ISD) technique at a high deposition rate. A columnar grain with a roofing-tile-shaped surface was observed in these MgO films. X-ray pole figure, and/-and x-scan were used to characterize in-plane and out-of-plane textures. MgO films deposited when the incline angle a was 55 and 30 exhibited the best in-plane and out-of-plane texture, respectively. High-quality YBCO films were epitaxially grown on ISD-MgO-buffered Hastelloy C substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Tc/88K, with sharp transition, and jc values of 2105 A/cm2 at 77K in zero field were observed on films 5mm wide and 1cm long. This work has demonstrated that biaxially textured ISD MgO buffer layers deposited on metal substrates are excellent candidates for fabrication of high-quality YBCO coated conductors.

Although pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is one of the most reliable techniques for fabricating YBa2Cu30x (YBCO) thin films with high critical current density (Jc), metal organic decomposition (MOD), inchding the trifluoroacetate (TFA) process, is attracting more interest because of its potential for scale-up and cost-effectiveness. In general, PLD samples have higher Jc values than those of TFA samples. In this study, we deposited YBCO films on LaAIO3 single-crystal substrates by TFA and PLD, respectively. Performance of the two samples was compared to investigate possible causes that lead to the different Jc values. In-plane and out-of-plane texture was evaluated quantitatively by phi and omega scan, respectively. The FWHMs of phi and omega scans for the TFA sample were comparable to those of the PLD sample, indicating that TFA films follow the substrate texture precisely. Raman spectra were measured to estimate grain connectivity, texture, and second-phase formation. The properties of the samples are almost identical, except for the intensity of the BaCuO2 Raman peaks. Microstructure observation by SEM showed that TFA films were generally more porous and smaller-grained than PLD samples. Considering these results, the difference in Jc values between TFA and PLD samples (1.3 and 3MA/cm2, respectively) in this experiment is partly attributed to the more porous mi-crostructure of the TFA samples.