Biaxial texture analysis of YBa2Cu3O7-coated conductors by micro-Raman spectroscopy -: art. no. 094525

A quantitative determination of the degree of biaxial texture of YBa2Cu3O7-delta-coated conductors has been carried out by micro-Raman spectroscopy. The uniaxial texture is characterized by determining the c-axis grain fraction from the ratio between the intensity of O(2,3)-B-1g and O(4)-A(g) modes. The degree of in-plane orientation is determined from the relative intensity modulation of the Raman phonon modes when samples are rotated around the axis perpendicular to the films. The biaxial texture parameter determined from Raman scattering has been modeled taking into account different grain misorientation distribution functions. The Raman results are compared with results of x-ray diffraction phi-scan measurements, and we demonstrate the relationship between the texture determination provided by both techniques. Additionally, the possibility of micro-Raman spectroscopy to perform local analysis allows one to characterize the texture uniformity of the superconducting films. The relationship between the biaxial texture determined by micro-Raman and the critical currents of coated conductors is further evidenced.