A coated conductor comprises a substrate supporting a ReBCO superconductor adapted to carry current in a superconducting state. The superconductor is characterized in having peaks in critical current (J.sub.c) of at least 0.2 MA/cm.sup.2 in a magnetic field of about 1 Tesla when the field is applied normal to the surface of the superconductor and when the field is applied parallel to the surface of the superconductor, and further characterized in that the superconductor includes horizontal defects and columnar detects in a size and an amount sufficient to result in the said critical current response. The conductor is characterized in that the ratio of the height of the peaks in the J.sub.c is in the range from 3:1 with the ratio of the field perpendicular (0 degrees) to the field parallel (+/−90 degrees) to the range from 3:1 with the ratio of the field parallel to the field perpendicular.

According to an embodiment, a superconductor includes a base member, and a superconducting layer provided on the base member. The superconducting Layer has a first surface on the base member side, and a second surface on the side opposite to the first surface. The lattice constant of the base member substantially matches the lattice constant of the superconducting layer. The superconducting layer includes REA.sub.1-xREB.sub.xBa.sub.2Cu.sub.3O.sub.7-z. The x is not less than 0.01 and not more than 0.40. The z is not less than 0.02 and not more than 0.20. The REA includes at least one of Y, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, or Lu. The REB includes at least one of Nd or Sm. The superconducting layer includes a first surface-side region including a portion of the first surface. The first surface-side region includes a first region having an orientation property, and a second region.

Electrical, mechanical, computing, and/or other devices that include components formed of extremely low resistance (ELR) materials, including, but not limited to, modified ELR materials, layered ELR materials, and new ELR materials, are described.

A method of producing polycrystalline Y.sub.3Ba.sub.5Cu.sub.8O.sub.y (Y-358) whereby powders of yttrium (III) oxide, a barium (II) salt, and copper (II) oxide are pelletized, calcined at 850 to 950° C. for 8 to 16 hours, ball milled under controlled conditions, pelletized again and sintered in an oxygen atmosphere at 900 to 1000° C. for up to 72 hours. The polycrystalline Y.sub.3Ba.sub.5Cu.sub.8O.sub.y thus produced is in the form of elongated crystals having an average length of 2 to 10 μm and an average width of 1 to 2 μm, and embedded with spherical nanoparticles of yttrium deficient Y.sub.3Ba.sub.5Cu.sub.8O.sub.y having an average diameter of 5 to 20 nm. The spherical nanoparticles are present as agglomerates having flower-like morphology with an average particles size of 30 to 60 nm. The ball milled polycrystalline Y.sub.3Ba.sub.5Cu.sub.8O.sub.y prepared under controlled conditions shows significant enhancement of superconducting and flux pinning properties.

An oxide superconductor according to an embodiment includes an oxide superconducting layer includes a single crystal having a continuous perovskite structure containing at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of yttrium, lanthanum, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium, barium, and copper, containing praseodymium in a part of the site of the rare earth element in the perovskite structure, and having a molar ratio of praseodymium of 0.00000001 or more and 0.2 or less with respect to the sum of the at least one rare earth element and praseodymium; fluorine in an amount of 2.0×10.sup.15 atoms/cc or more and 5.0×10.sup.19 atoms/cc or less; and carbon in an amount of 1.0×10.sup.17 atoms/cc or more and 5.0×10.sup.20 atoms/cc or less.

The invention relates to electrical engineering, in particular, to the manufacturing technology of flexible high-temperature superconductors (HTS) with high critical current density in external magnetic field and to the method of manufacturing of said superconductors (tapes). The invention is applicable to industrial manufacturing of HTS wires with very high values of critical current density in magnetic fields over 1 Tesla at temperatures below 50 Kelvin, in particular, to industrial manufacturing of HTS wires intended for application in compact fusion reactors. Flexible high temperature superconductor is comprised of a substrate and a superconductor layer with RE.sub.1+2xBa.sub.2Cu.sub.3O.sub.7+3x overall composition comprised of a superconductor matrix of REBa.sub.2Cu.sub.3O.sub.7 composition and non-superconducting nanoparticles of RE.sub.2O.sub.3 composition, where x=0.05-0.15, RE is a rare earth element from the Y, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu group, whereas the concentration density of the said nanoparticles is at least 10.sup.16 nanoparticles/cm.sup.3. Method of manufacturing of the superconductor is comprised of pulsed laser deposition of superconductor material with RE.sub.1+2xBa.sub.2Cu.sub.3O.sub.7+3x overall composition, where x=0.05-0.15, RE is rare earth element from the Y, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu group, onto a substrate moving through the deposition zone and heated to a temperature of at least 800° C., whereas the deposition is performed using an ablated target made from multiphase sintered ceramics comprised of chemical elements that compose the superconductor material, at a deposition rate greater than 100 nm/s and at a temperature gradient in the deposition zone that ensures the deposition of the superconductor material without the formation of liquid phase. The invention allows for improvement of the properties of flexible high temperature superconductor by increasing its critical current in high magnetic fields and ensures simple and economic large scale production of said HTS conductor with improved properties.

A method of producing polycrystalline Y.sub.3Ba.sub.5Cu.sub.8O.sub.y (Y-358) whereby powders of yttrium (III) oxide, a barium (II) salt, and copper (II) oxide are pelletized, calcined at 850 to 950° C. for 8 to 16 hours, ball milled under controlled conditions, pelletized again and sintered in an oxygen atmosphere at 900 to 1000° C. for up to 72 hours. The polycrystalline Y.sub.3Ba.sub.5Cu.sub.8O.sub.y thus produced is in the form of elongated crystals having an average length of 2 to 10 μm and an average width of 1 to 2 μm, and embedded with spherical nanoparticles of yttrium deficient Y.sub.3Ba.sub.5Cu.sub.8O.sub.y having an average diameter of 5 to 20 nm. The spherical nanoparticles are present as agglomerates having flower-like morphology with an average particles size of 30 to 60 nm. The ball milled polycrystalline Y.sub.3Ba.sub.5Cu.sub.8O.sub.y prepared under controlled conditions shows significant enhancement of superconducting and flux pinning properties.

A connection structure of conductive layers according to an embodiment includes: a first conductive member including a first conductive layer and a first substrate, the first conductive member extending in a first direction, the first conductive member curved in the first direction such that the first conductive layer side is convex; a second conductive member including a second conductive layer and a second substrate, the second conductive member extending in the first direction, the second conductive member curved in the first direction such that the second conductive layer side is convex; a third conductive member including a third conductive layer and a third substrate, the third conductive member extending in the first direction; a first connection layer between a the first conductive layer and the third conductive layer, the first connection layer having varying thickness; and a second connection layer between the second conductive layer and the third conductive layer, the second connection layer having varying thickness.

A superconducting composition of matter including overlapping first and second regions. The regions comprise unit cells of a solid, the first region comprises an electrical insulator or semiconductor, and the second region comprises a metallic electrical conductor. The second region extends through the solid and a subset of said second region comprise surface metal unit cells that are adjacent to at least one unit cell from the first region. The ratio of the number of said surface metal unit cells to the total number of unit cells in the second region being at least 20 percent.

A superconducting wire includes a substrate and a superconducting material layer. The substrate includes a first main surface and a second main surface opposite to the first main surface. The superconducting material layer is disposed on the first main surface. Along at least a part of the superconducting wire in a direction in which the superconducting wire extends, the superconducting material layer is disposed to cover a side surface of the substrate in a width direction of the substrate and cover at least a part of the second main surface. A thickness of the superconducting material layer located on the first main surface varies along the width direction. A maximum thickness of the superconducting material layer located on the second main surface is smaller than a maximum thickness of the superconducting material layer located on the first main surface.