Roughness and Texture of Epitaxial LZO Thin Films Grown on RABiTS Ni5W Substrates

Low-cost coated conductors are required in order to put together competitive superconducting cables. The buffer layer architecture is one of the key aspects of coated conductors processing. Very interesting results have been obtained with complex architectures. It may not be necessary to have high J_c for cable applications, thus simpler architectures can be considered. We suggest that only one buffer could be sufficient. Because the YBCO deposition needs a perfect surface for epitaxy, we aim to eliminate the different defects appearing on this surface. To do so, we suggest to identify the defects. We show the annealing results of the NiW/LZO substrates with La₂Zr₂ O₇ deposited by metal organic decomposition at different annealing temperatures. The buffer layer microstructure is studied in detail, and the texture is investigated as a function of the annealing temperature.