Synthesis of Nb3Ga and Nb3Al superconducting composites by laser beam irradiation

Abstract

Nb3Ga and Nb3Al superconductors were successfully fabricated by continuous CO2 laser beam irradiation of a moving material. Transition temperatures after the irradiation are 17.0 and 16.5 K, respectively. These temperatures are increased by ∼2 K by the subsequent annealings. Critical current density Jc (for the reacted area) of 3×104 A/cm2 at 15 T and 4.2 K is obtained for Nb3Al tape with small magnetic field dependence up to 23 T. The results indicate that the continuous laser beam irradiation is a very attractive method for fabricating advanced superconductors, such as Nb3Ga, Nb3Al, Nb3(Al,Ge), etc.