ABSTRACTWe have modelled the grain boundaries in high-Tc superconducting oxides and determined the critical current density. The tunneling of superconducting pairs across the coalesced regions is used to determine the boundary effects. The length of the coalesced regions, with continuity of the Cu-O planes maintained by relaxation of the atom positions, is determined by minimization of the energy of the configuration. The depression of the order parameter is evaluated using the continuity conditions at the boundary in the proximity effect formulation. The excess charge distribution at the core of the boundary, determined from the solution to the Poisson's equation, is used to determine the scattering of the superconducting pairs. The width of the boundary, evaluated from modelling, determines the transmission coefficient for tunnelingof superconducting pairs. The critical current density is expressed in terms of these four important factors associated with the grain boundary. All the experimental results are explained by the present modelling of the grain boundary effects.
Fabrication processes and critical current density of high-Tc oxide superconducting wire.
