Fabrication of YBCO/YSZ and YBCO/MgO thick films using electrophoretic deposition with top-seeded melt growth process

Superconducting thick films were grown on single crystals MgO and YSZ by electrophoretic deposition with Y_2BaCuO_5(Y211) addition. YBCO thick films were then accomplished by sintering the precursor films above the peritectic temperature. Single crystals of MgO (3\times3\times0.5 mm^3) were used as top-seed to control crystal structure of the thick films. As shown by scanning electron microscopy, the morphologies of YBCO/YSZ and YBCO/MgO thick films are spherulitic texture and platelet type. The critical temperature is \sim89 K for the YBCO/YSZ thick film; the onset transition temperature is 86.4 K and the transition width is \sim3 K for YBCO/MgO thick film. The critical current densities (as determined by Bean model) are, in A/cm^2, 3870 (77 K) for YBCO/YSZ thick films and 2399 (77 K) for YBCO/MgO thick films, which are comparable to the best J_\rm c reported of the thick films prepared by the same method.