Research Profile - Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy ...

Noel Rutter
Teaching Fellow
MA University of Cambridge
PhD University of Cambridge
+44 (0) 1223 762965
nar20@cam.ac.uk
www.msm.cam.ac.uk/dmg/
Functional Thin Films
My work within the Device Materials Group focuses on the
fabrication, modelling and microstructural and electromagnetic
characterization of functional thin-film materials, in particular
superconducting wires and tapes.
Functional thin-film growth
We are interested in optimizing the growth parameters of thin
films in order to optimize their functional properties. One example
of this is the development of buffer layers and superconducting
films for coated conductor tapes. A crucial factor in improving the
performance of these materials is a firm understanding of how
epitaxial growth occurs for different thin-film deposition methods.
Modelling superconducting current flow
We aim to understand how the microscopic influence of
grains and grain boundaries in superconductors determines
the macroscopic properties of wires and tapes. We develop
mesoscale network models in order to discover which properties
are the most important in limiting the performance, depending on
the conditions of temperature and magnetic field appropriate to
the application. An understanding of the statistical variations of
properties within these materials and of the dependence of such
variations on processing is required in order to determine the
most effective wire configuration.
Characterization of superconductors
In order to be commercially viable, superconducting wires must
be able to carry substantial currents in magnetic fields. We aim to
understand how the microstructure of the superconducting layer
in a coated conductor tape determines its maximum current. This
is achieved by characterizing the microstructure of films using
techniques such as XRD and EBSD in parallel with measurement
of the electromagnetic properties of the tapes.
NA Rutter, JH Durrell, MG Blamire & JL MacManus-Driscoll, “Benefits of
current percolation in superconducting coated conductors” Appl. Phys.
Lett. 87, 162507 (2005).
NA Rutter & A Goyal, “Modeling current flow in granular superconductors”
in Studies of High Temperature Superconductors, New York: Springer
(2004).
NA Rutter, BA Glowacki & JE Evetts, “Percolation modelling for highly
aligned polycrystalline superconducting tapes” Supercond. Sci. Technol.
13, L25–L30 (2000).
Schematic of a coated conductor – a stack of thin films on a
metallic substrate
34 Research Profile