The influence of heat treatment parameters on pyrolysed TFA-derived YBCO films deposited by inkjet printing

An anhydrous TFA-derived YBa2Cu3O7−δ precursor solution was deposited on all chemical solution deposition fully buffered metallic tape by means of electromagnetic drop-on-demand inkjet printing and pyrolysed in a flowing wet O2 atmosphere. The influence of the annealing temperature and time, the gas flow rate and water vapour partial pressure on phase formation, and the morphology and superconducting performance of the resulting film, were investigated. It was found by scanning Hall probe magnetometry that reproducible superconducting films with a critical current density of 0.18 MA/cm2 can be produced after annealing for 2 h at 728 °C, without metal substrate oxidation, in a flowing 200 ppm O2 in Ar atmosphere with 31 mbar water vapour partial pressure.