Method for metal coating the surface of high temperature superconductors

A plating method comprising the steps:

• furnishing a galvanic container;
• placing an aqueous copper sulfate solution into the galvanic container;
• placing a copper containing anode into the aqueous copper sulfate solution;
• placing a copper oxide based high temperature superconductor into the aqueous copper sulfate solution for forming a cathode;
• connecting the copper containing anode and the cathode to a direct current electrical power source;
• electroplating copper directly onto a surface of the copper oxide based high temperature superconductor for forming a copper plated copper oxide based high temperature superconductor.

A process for making a metallic deposition on High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) with a copper-oxygen basic structure as in the RE 123 Superconductor family (RE=Y and Rare Earth Group) in the stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric composition, and in the Bismuth HTS (Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8−x (Bi 2212) or Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+y (Bi2223), essentially consisting of the steps of

• furnishing an aqueous copper sulfate solution;
• placing the High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) with a copper-oxygen basic structure as in the RE 123 Superconductor family (RE=Y and Rare Earth Group) in the stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric composition, and in the Bismuth HTS (Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8−x (Bi 2212) or Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+y (Bi2223) into the aqueous copper sulfate solution;
• electroplating copper or copper alloys from the aqueous copper sulfate solution directly onto the High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) with a copper-oxygen basic structure as in the RE 123 Superconductor family (RE=Y and Rare Earth Group) in the stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric composition, and in the Bismuth HTS (Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8−x (Bi 2212) or Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+y (Bi2223) that for a fabrication of low ohmic contacts with small electrical and thermal contact resistance values, and for providing a stable metallization between the High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) with a copper-oxygen basic structure as in the RE 123 Superconductor family (RE=Y and Rare Earth Group) in the stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric composition, and in the Bismuth HTS (Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8−x (Bi 2212) or Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+y (Bi2223) and the electrically or thermally coupling copper or copper alloys.

A process for making metallic copper plating on High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) as substrate with a copper-oxygen basic structure, as on the RE1Ba2Cu3O7−x (RE123) family, with RE=Y and Rare Earth group in stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric composition, and on the Bismuth HTS family Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8−x (Bi 2212) or Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+y (2223), wherein the metallic plating creates between substrate and the copper layer a low ohmic electrical and a high strength mechanical interface structure, which is obtained by,

• (a) an electro galvanizing/electroplating copper process in an electrolytic acidic aqueous solution bath,
• (b) with an aqueous copper containing electrolyte consisting of copper sulfate solution CuSO4×5H2O in a concentration from 20 g per liter up to saturation,
• (c) processing in galvanic cell with the copper oxide based high temperature superconducting substrate forming the cathode, and the copper electrode forming the anode,
• (d) applying the voltage of a direct current electrical power source to the electrodes to create the electric field of sufficient strength between the electrodes and plating a surface of the copper oxide based high temperature superconducting substrate for forming a copper plated high temperature superconductor.

An electro plating method comprising the steps:

• Furnishing a galvanic container;
• placing an aqueous copper sulfate containing electrolyte into the galvanic container;
• placing a copper containing anode into the aqueous copper sulfate containing electrolyte;
• Placing a copper oxide based high temperature superconductor into the aqueous copper sulfate containing electrolyte for forming a cathode;
• connecting the copper containing anode and the cathode to a direct current electrical power source;
• Electroplating copper onto a surface of the copper oxide based high temperature superconductor for forming a copper plated copper oxide based high temperature superconductor.