Development ofa synthesis technique and characterization of Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl delta// whiskers

A synthesis technique of Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl delta// single-crystal whiskers has been studied. The whiskers were synthesized by annealing melt-quenched glassy Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O (3:2:2:4 in cationic ratio) plates, which were rapidly quenched from 1100-1200/spl deg/C. The growth condition and mechanism of the Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl delta// whiskers were investigated by an in-situ high-temperature x-ray diffraction analysis and an in-situ high-temperature microscope observation. It was found that the whiskers grow in a partially melted state at a temperature of 10-40 degrees below the melting point. The result obtained demonstrates that Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/spl delta// whiskers grow at their bottom by the conventional liquid-phase growth mechanism, as was proposed by Matsubara et al.