Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of manufacturing a superconductor of a ceramics superconductive material, comprising the steps of: preparing a raw material sintered ingot; defining a floating zone having composition for crystallizing a superconducting phase from a part of said raw material sintered ingot serving as a primary phase; and moving said floating zone along the longitudinal direction of said raw material sintered ingot thereby to provide a crystal orientation property to a part of said ingot upon passage of said floating zone.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of manufacturing a superconductor of a ceramics superconductive material, comprising the steps of: preparing a raw material sintered ingot; defining a floating zone having composition for crystallizing a superconducting phase from a part of said raw material sintered ingot serving as a primary phase; and moving said floating zone along the longitudinal direction of said raw material sintered ingot thereby to provide a crystal orientation property to a part of said ingot upon passage of said floating zone.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
117 words
A method of manufacturing a superconductor in accordance with claim 1, wherein said ceramics superconductive material comprises at least one (hereinafter referred to as "Ln") of yttrium, lanthanum, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium and lutetium, barium, copper and oxygen, and the composition of said floating zone is within a region enclosed by a triangle linking a first point showing 100 at.% CuO, a second point at which Ln, Ba and Cu are in the ratios 1:2:3 and a third point at which Ln, Ba and Cu are in the ratios 0:1:1 in a three-component composition diagram of LnO 1.5 , BaO and CuO, which are oxides of Ln, barium and copper respectively.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method of manufacturing a superconductor in accordance with claim 1, wherein oxygen pressure is provided in said step of moving said floating zone so that said floating zone causes no bubble.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
76 words
A method of manufacturing a superconductor in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the step of holding said part provided with a crystal orientation property in an atmosphere having oxygen partial pressure of at least 0.2 atm. within a temperature range of 800 to 950 o C for at least two hours and thereafter cooling the same at a cooling rate of not more than 200 o C/h after said step of moving said floating zone.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method of manufacturing a superconductor in accordance with claim 1, wherein said floating zone is provided with such speed difference that the speed in its forward portion is higher than that in its rear portion along said longitudinal direction in said step of moving said floating zone.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method of manufacturing a superconductor in accordance with claim 1, wherein said ceramics superconductive material is an oxide containing Bi, Sr, Ca and Cu.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method of manufacturing a superconductor in accordance with claim 1, wherein said ceramics superconductive material is an oxide containing Bi, Pb, Sr, Ca and Cu.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
56 words
A method of manufacturing a superconductor in accordance with claim 1, wherein the product of the diameter (D mm) of said superconductor provided with a crystal orientation property and the speed (V mm/h) for moving said floating zone is within a range of 0.5 ≦ DV ≦ 20 in said step of moving said floating zone.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method of manufacturing a superconductor in accordance with claim 8, wherein said raw material sintered ingot and said superconductor provided with a crystal orientation property are reversely rotated within a range of 0.1 to 40 r.p.m. in said step of moving said floating zone.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method of manufacturing a superconductor in accordance with claim 1, wherein said floating zone is passed along said raw material sintered ingot at least twice in said step of moving said floating zone.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method of manufacturing a superconductor in accordance with claim 10, wherein said floating zone is provided with such speed difference that the speed in its forward portion is higher than that in its rear portion along said longitudinal direction in said step of moving said floating zone.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method of manufacturing a superconductor in accordance with claim 1, wherein pressure P of an atmosphere encircling said floating zone is within a range of 0 < P ≦ 3 [kgf/cm²] in said step of moving said floating zone.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method of manufacturing a superconductor in accordance with claim 12, wherein said atmosphere is prepared from oxygen or a mixture of oxygen and inert gas.