INFLUENCE OF GRAIN BOUNDARIES ON THE TRANSPORT CRITICAL CURRENT DENSITY OF HIGH T c SUPERCONDUCTORS

This paper describes our efforts to improve the preparation conditions of YBCO samples and increase their density by doping with Sn, F, or Ag and our analysis of the influence of different grain boundaries on superconducting current. We come to the conclusion that, as the grain boundaries have an insulation layer between them forming Josephson junctions and the metalled grain boundaries form proximity junctions which are kind of weak couplings for superconductors, the current-carrying capacity of samples having such grain boundaries cannot be expected to greatly increase. Only by increasing the density of samples and purifying the grain boundaries can a better percolation path for supercurrent be created, thereby considerably increasing the critical current density.