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Laser-Assisted Field Evaporation of ${\rm RB}{\rm a}_ 2{\rm C}{\rm u}_ 3{\rm O}_{ 7-{\rm \delta }}$ (R = Gd, Sm) High-Temperature Superconducting Coated Conductors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2021

Jesse D. Smith Open the ORCID record for Jesse D. Smith [Opens in a new window] ,
Jeong Huh ,
Adam Shelton ,
Richard F. Reidy  and
Marcus L. Young Open the ORCID record for Marcus L. Young [Opens in a new window]
Jesse D. Smith*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, TX76208, USA
Jeong Huh
Affiliation:
Superconductor Technologies Incorporated, Austin, TX78754, USA
Adam Shelton
Affiliation:
Superconductor Technologies Incorporated, Austin, TX78754, USA
Richard F. Reidy
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, TX76208, USA
Marcus L. Young
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, TX76208, USA
*
*Corresponding author: Jesse D. Smith: E-mail: jessesmith@my.unt.edu
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Abstract

In the field of high-temperature superconductors, atom probe tomography is a relatively new instrument, with the ability to provide a new perspective on the 3D nanoscale microstructure. However, field evaporation of nonmetallic materials is fraught with unique challenges that matter little in the world of metallic evaporation. In this study, we review the laser absorption, correlated evaporation, molecular dissociation, and the crystallographic effects on the field evaporation of 800-m ${\rm RB}{\rm a}_ 2{\rm C}{\rm u}_ 3{\rm O}_{ 7-{\rm \delta }}$ (R = Gd, Sm) coated conductor tapes deposited by Reactive Co-Evaporation Cyclic Deposition and Reaction (RCE-CDR). Ultraviolet 355 nm laser pulsing was found to have a substantial beneficial effect on minimizing the fracture probability compared with 532 nm illumination, especially when evaporating insulating oxide precipitates. This, in turn, allows for the 3D compositional analysis of defects such as flux pinning centers introduced by precipitation and doping. As a result, evidence for the precipitation of nanoscale ${\rm G}{\rm d}_ 2{\rm C}{\rm u}_ 2{\rm O}_ 5$ is discussed. The effect of crystallographic orientation is studied, where [001] aligned evaporation is found to develop compositional aberrations.

Keywords

atom probe tomographycoated conductorhigh-temperature superconductivitymolecular dissociationrare-earth cuprate oxide
Type
Materials Science Applications
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 27 , Issue 6 , December 2021 , pp. 1338 - 1355
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Microscopy Society of America

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