Development of conducting buffer architectures using cube textured IBAD-TiN layers

Ion-beam assisted deposition (IBAD) offers the possibility to prepare thin textured films on amorphous or non-textured substrates. In particular, the textured nucleation of TiN is promising for the development of a conducting buffer layer architecture for YBCO coated conductors based on the IBAD approach. Accordingly, cube textured IBAD-TiN layers have been deposited reactively using pulsed laser deposition on Si/Si3N4 substrates as well as on polished Hastelloy tapes using different amorphous seed layers. Metallic buffer layers such as Au, Pt or Ir were grown epitaxially on top of the TiN layer showing texture values similar to the IBAD layer. Smooth layers were obtained using a double layer of Au/Pt or Au/Ir. Biaxially textured YBCO layers were achieved using SrRuO3 or Nb-doped SrTiO3 as a conductive oxide cap layer. Finally, different amorphous conducting seed layers were applied for the IBAD-TiN process. Highly textured TiN films were achieved on amorphous Ta0.75Ni0.25 layers showing a similar in-plane orientation of about 8° as on standard seed layers.