Method of and apparatus for manufacturing tape-formed oxide superconductor

A method of manufacturing an oxide superconductor tape, comprising:

• coating a surface of a tape-shaped substrate with a mixture of a metalorganic acid salts containing elements which constitute an RE123-type superconductor, wherein:
• “RE” denotes at least one element selected from the group consisting of La, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu and Y, and then calcining the coating to form a film body as a superconductor preform on the surface of the tape-shaped substrate;
• continuously moving the substrate through an elongated heating zone and along a travel path defining an axis;
• supplying a reactive gas flow vertically to impinge on a film surface of the film body in the heating zone, wherein the reactive gas is supplied at a feed position defined by a linear array of a plurality of gas supply ports spaced widthwise of the film surface, and to then move widthwise across the film surface, perpendicular to the axis and toward and across edges at widthwise opposing sides of the film surface;
• and
• simultaneous with the supplying, discharging the gas, after reaction with the film body to form the superconductor tape, as discharge gas flows parallel to the film surface and through paired gas discharge outlets respectively located on the opposing sides of the film surface, wherein the reactive gas flow and the discharge gas flows are in parallel with a plane perpendicular to the axis.