Multi-Kilometer Superconducting Tape Production Tool

"Structured Materials Industries, Inc. (SMI), will work with a major corporation (who has seed-funded this project, and will continue to provide significant matching effort), through Phase I and Phase II, to develop and implement a system for theproduction of multi-kilometer lengths of superconducting tapes (cables) using Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) of yttrium-barium-copper-oxide (YBCO) films on buffered metallic strips. This effort will build upon (i) static HTC MOCVDefforts, (ii) SMI historic oxide MOCVD efforts, and (iii) a commercially funded "meter" scale MOCVD showerhead and tape heater assembly with dynamic tape feed. In Phase I, with BMDO and matching funds, we propose to test enhancements to a the "meter" scaletool and design the Multi-Kilometer HTC tool for Phase II production and process demonstration. The developed instrument will enhance MOCVD production of superconducting tapes and enable greater system yield. Hence, manufacturers will desire thisinstrument to be their production tool, ultimately yielding multiple (Phase III) tool sales per year as superconducting applications mature and utilization increases. Superconducting transmission cables (tapes) offer more than a five-fold increase in powertransmission through existing conduits to meet growing military and commercial consumer demands. Further, superconductor tapes are applicable to an array of high speed high power applications, including M