Highly textured bulk materials, with a high density of stacking faults, were prepared by using the powder melting process. The samples were re-annealed at temperatures of between 800 and 900C in order to reduce the number of stacking faults in the crystals. The microstructural characteristics of the samples were investigated by using scanning and transmission electron microscopic techniques. The results indicated that the stacking fault density and the critical current density decreased considerably during re-heating.

P.X.Zhang, L.Zhou, P.Ji, W.M.Bian, X.Z.Wu, Z.H.Lai: Superconductor Science and Technology, 1995, 8[1], 15-9