Fabrication and Properties of High T sub c Superconducting Wires

The discovery of high temperature superconductivity in perovskite- related oxides has generated an enormous amount of research activity and development effort toward applications. Commercially useful bulk superconductors typically require stabilization using a normal metal cladding for reasons of electrical, thermal and mechanical protection, and in general need to be fabricated into fine fibers and wound into a solenoid configuration. The Ba sub 2 YCu sub 3 O sub (7-delta) type compound is a ceramic material which is mechanically hard and brittle, and is difficult to fabricate into fine wires.