METHOD FOR JOINING OXIDE SUPERCONDUCTOR

PURPOSE:To join two highly oriented oxide superconductors without deteriorating the characteristics of the superconductive at the joined part by bringing the end surfaces of the two oxide superconductors having the same orientation directions of crystals into contact with each other, and subsequently pressing and heating the contacting superconductors under a prescribed pressure at a prescribed temperature. CONSTITUTION:Two oxide superconductors 1, 2 (e.g. Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductor) containing at least Cu and having an orientation degree of >=2.5 in the C-axial direction are prepared. The end surfaces 3, 4 of the two oxide superconductors 1, 2 having the same crystal orientation directions are brought into contact with each other, and the contacted parts are pressed with press punches 5, 6 under a pressure of >=0.05ton/cm and simultaneously heated at 500-900 deg.C to join the oxide superconductors 1, 2 to each other. Since the mutual diffusion and sintering of the end surfaces and simultaneously the orientation of the joined part due to the pressing are thereby advanced, the superconductors can be joined to each other without damaging the mutual orientation characteristics, thus the structural article having the large area and the homogeneous superconductive characteristics is obtained.