Apparatus for and method of continuous hts tape buffer layer deposition using large scale ion beam assisted deposition

A process for continuous deposition of a coating of an HTS tape, comprising:

• loading a substrate into a deposition chamber;
• translating the substrate through the deposition chamber;
• depositing a coating material from a deposition source on the substrate to thereby form the coating while translating the substrate, the coating being a buffer layer over which an HTS layer is formed, the buffer layer having a biaxial texture;
• impinging an ion beam from an ion source on the substrate during depositing;
• monitoring the biaxial texture of the coating, a number of ions from the ion beam impinging on the substrate, and a thickness of the coating during depositing;
• and
• adjusting the power level of at least one of the ion source and the deposition source during depositing based on the monitoring of biaxial texture.