American Superconductor Corporation

Mark D Teplitsky

Gilbert N Riley, Jr

Qi Li

Ronald D Parrella

Martin W Rupich

William L Carter

Eric R Podtburg

Lawrence J Masur

Steven Fleshler

Donald R Parker

William J Michels

William J Rosati

Ronald D Parella

Gilbert N Riley

A novel process of the production and processing of high quality, high T BSCCO or (Bi,Pb)SCCO superconductors starts with fabrication of a forming a bundle including a plurality of billets, each billet containing at least one filament comprising a dominant amount of an tetragonal BSCCO phase with selected intermediate phases, and substantially surrounded by a constraining metal. The bundle is thermomechanically consolidated to form a multifilamentary precursor article by applying pressure and heat to the bundle under conditions cooperatively selected to cause interdiffusion of said constraining metal at the interfaces between said metal and said filaments and substantially complete elimination of voids in said bundle, and the consolidation step is completed before any high strain longitudinal deformation is performed on the bundle. The precursor article is then heated at a second selected processing temperature in an inert atmosphere with a second selected oxygen partial pressure for a second selected time period, the second processing temperature, the second time period and the second oxygen partial pressure being cooperatively selected to form a dominant amount of an orthorhombic BSCCO phase in the reacted mixture. It may then be deformed to form an elongated precursor article of a desired texture; and thereafter heated at a third selected processing temperature in an inert atmosphere with a third selected oxygen partial pressure for a third selected time period, all cooperatively selected to convert at least a portion of the orthorhombic BSCCO phase to the final superconducting BSCCO material.

Method of forming superconducting composite article

The present invention provides a (Bi,Pb)SCCO-2223 oxide superconductor composite which exhibits improved critical current density and critical current density retention in the presence of magnetic fields. Retention of critical current density in 0.1 T fields (77 K, &perp; ab plane) of greater than 35% is disclosed. Significant improvements in oxide superconductor wire current carrying capacity in a magnetic field are obtained by subjecting the oxide superconductor composite to a post-processing heat treatment which reduces the amount of lead in the (Bi,Pb)SCCO-2223 phase and forms a lead-rich non-superconducting phase. The heat treatment is carried out under conditions which localize the lead-rich phase at high energy sites in the composite.

High performance (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Oy composites

A novel process of the production and processing of high quality, high T.sub.c BSCCO or (Bi,Pb)SCCO superconductors starts with fabrication of a forming a bundle including a plurality of billets, each billet containing at least one filament comprising a dominant amount of an tetragonal BSCCO phase with selected intermediate phases, and substantially surrounded by a constraining metal. The bundle is thermomechanically consolidated to form a multifilamentary precursor article by applying pressure and heat to the bundle under conditions cooperatively selected to cause interdiffusion of said constraining metal at the interfaces between said metal and said filaments and substantially complete elimination of voids in said bundle, and the consolidation step is completed before any high strain longitudinal deformation is performed on the bundle. The precursor article is then heated at a second selected processing temperature in an inert atmosphere with a second selected oxygen partial pressure for a second selected time period, the second processing temperature, the second time period and the second oxygen partial pressure being cooperatively selected to form a dominant amount of an orthorhombic BSCCO phase in the reacted mixture. It may then be deformed to form an elongated precursor article of a desired texture; and thereafter heated at a third selected processing temperature in an inert atmosphere with a third selected oxygen partial pressure for a third selected time period, all cooperatively selected to convert at least a portion of the orthorhombic BSCCO phase to the final superconducting BSCCO material.

Method of forming BSCCO superconducting composite articles

The present invention provides a (Bi,Pb)SCCO-2223 oxide superconductor composite which exhibits improved critical current density and critical current density retention in the presence of magnetic fields. Retention of critical current density in 0.1 T fields (77 K, .perp. ab plane) of greater than 35% is disclosed. Significant improvements in oxide superconductor wire current carrying capacity in a magnetic field are obtained by subjecting the oxide superconductor composite to a post-processing heat treatment which reduces the amount of lead in the (Bi,Pb)SCCO-2223 phase and forms a lead-rich non-superconducting phase. The heat treatment is carried out under conditions which localize the lead-rich phase at high energy sites in the composite.

Reaction for high performance (Bi,Pb).sub.2 Sr.sub.2 Ca.sub.2 Cu.sub.3

Growing community of inventors

Westborough, MA, United States of America

Mark D Teplitsky