Top surface morphologies of melt growth processed Y1.5Ba2Cu3O7−y bulk superconductors with corner or edge seeding

•Corner or edge seeding modifies top surface morphologies of YBCO superconductors.•Numbers and a shape of facet lines on top surfaces depend on seeding technique.•Facet lines are straight but often have a curvature.•Unreacted regions form on top surfaces owing to a low growth rate of a 〈100〉 direction.•Magnetic flux density and levitation forces are dependent on top surface morphology. A corner or edge seeding was attempted to control top surface morphologies (facet lines) of top-seeded melt growth (TSMG) processed Y1.5Ba2Cu3O7−y (Y1.5) bulk superconductors. The orientation and numbers of facet lines were successfully modified using the corner/edge seeding with adjusted seed orientations. Most of the facet lines developed on the top surfaces were nearly straight, whereas some of them often had curvatures when the facet lines met the edges with high angles. The size of the growth area of Y123 on the top surfaces was dependent not only on the seeding method but also on the seed orientation. The unreacted regions were often observed on the local parts of the top surfaces, which are attributed to the difference in a growth rate among growth planes. The top surface with the corner seeding where the 〈110〉 growth direction is parallel to the diagonal of the Y123 compact showed the highest magnetic flux density and magnetic levitation forces owing to the largest growth area of Y123.