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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
Because of the natural preference for crystal growth in the a-b direction, melt-processed YBCO as well as BSCCO tends to show a local texture with large parallel plates aligned in the direction of CuO2 planes. In YBCO, macroscopically layered and bi-axially textured material can be achieved over extended sample lengths through the use of temperature gradient during melt-texture processing. In BSCCO, a layered structure is relatively easily obtained by subjecting thin ribbon samples in contact with silver to a partial melt processing. While the nature and the mechanism of layer formation may not be the same, the layer configuration in both YBCO and BSCCO is essential for overcoming the grain boundary weak link problem and achieving high transport Jc. In this paper, the process and the mechanism of layer formation will be described, and the implications on superconductor properties will be discussed.