Method of making cuprate superconducting material
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorsBertram Josef Batlogg, Robert Joseph Cava, Robert Bruce van Dover
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A class of superconductive materials containing copper-oxygen bonding and with mixed cation-occupancy designed with a view to size and valence consideration yield useful values of critical temperature and other properties. Uses entail all applications which involves superconducting materials such as magnets and transmission lines which require continuous superconductivity paths as well as detectors (e.g., which may rely on tunneling).
Claims7
A method of producing a substantially single phase superconducting material of chemical composition M2M′Cu3Oy having Tc (R=0) of 82 K or above, with M being Ba and M′ being selected from Y, Y and La, and Y and Sc, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) mixing stoichiometric quantities of particles of copper oxide, one or more of Y oxide, Sc oxide and La hydroxide, and a Ba-compound selected from Ba oxide and Ba carbonate, such that an intimate mixture results;
- b) calcining said intimate mixture at a predetermined temperature in the approximate range 700–950° C. in an oxygen-containing environment for a time sufficient to result in calcination of substantially the entire mixture;
- c) pulverizing the calcined material of step b);
- d) forming said pulverized calcined material into a shape;
- e) sintering said shape in an oxygen-containing environment at a temperature of about 950° C. for a time sufficient for substantial densification to occur;
- and
- f) cooling said sintered shape in an oxygen-containing environment at a rate selected to yield said substantially single phase superconducting material having Tc (R=0) of 82 K or above.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.