Prebreakdown effects and electric strength of high-temperature oxide superconductors

The emissive properties and electric strength of the high-temperature YBaCuO oxide superconductor were investigated in both the superconducting and the normal state. The results show that the emissive properties of YBaCuO cathodes are similar to those of metals. The vacuum pulsed breakdown with YBaCuO electrodes has some features similar to those observed for metallic electrodes. The formation of a dielectric covering on high-temperature-superconductor cathodes makes feasible their application in HV electrophysical devices.<
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