Several processing methods are under study for deposition of different layers of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−x -(YBCO-) coated conductors. The effect of these processing techniques on residual stress evolution in thin films of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and YBCO was evaluated by measurement of the residual stresses using x-ray diffraction (XRD). The YSZ films (textured and nontextured) were deposited on Hastelloy C substrates by ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD), and the YBCO films were deposited on lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO 3 ) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and sol-gel techniques. The measured residual stresses in the YSZ films (both textured and nontextured) were more compressive than the calculated thermal mismatch stress between Hastelloy C and YSZ, apparently due to intrinsic compressive stresses induced in the YSZ films during IBAD processing. In addition, a lower compressive residual stress was measured in the textured YSZ film compared to the nontextured film because of a reduction in the intrinsic compressive stress in the textured film. PLD processing of YBCO films on LaAlO 3 substrate resulted in a lower tensile residual stress (in the YBCO film) than the calculated thermal mismatch stress between YBCO and LaAlO 3 . This difference is attributed to the generation of intrinsic compressive stresses in the YBCO film during PLD, in a manner similar to IBAD. In comparison to IBAD and PLD, sol-gel processing apparently generated negligible intrinsic stresses, resulting in a good agreement between the measured residual stress in the YBCO film and the calculated thermal mismatch stress between YBCO and LaAlO 3 .
