Top-Seeded Infiltration Growth and Structure of YBCO Bulk Superconductors

The conditions for epitaxial growth of single-grain YBCO bulk superconductors at isothermal conditions were studied. The size of epitaxially grown grain and the size and number of parasitic grains as a function of growth temperature were measured. The way the CeO
₂
addition influences the microstructure of the bulk single crystal was also studied. It is shown that CeO
₂
has more positive effect on the size of Y211 particles when added to the Y211 pellet than when added to the source of the melt.