The microstructure and superconductivity of YBa2Cu3O7-xrapidly solidified by a pulse laser

Abstract
The microstructure and superconductivity of the compound YBa2Cu3O7-x rapidly solidified by a pulse laser for different cooling conditions have been investigated. The results show that a densified and refined microstructure can be formed by the rapid solidification process, which has a tendency to restrain any incongruent decomposition in the compound. After an annealing treatment, the critical current density of the laser melted layer is as high as 600 A cm-2, which is much greater than that of the sintered sample.