REBCO Soldered Lap Joint Resistance Versus Length and Tape Manufacturer

REBCO high-temperature superconductor tapes are made in piece lengths too short for many complete devices such as high-field solenoid magnets, cables, fault limiters, etc. In-line splices are required, and soldering is the preferred method of fabrication. The resistance and contact resistivity of such lap joints is a topic of ongoing investigation. To date it is well understood that the resistance of a soldered REBCO lap joint depends inversely upon the length of the joint in the range practical for devices. It is also well understood that the dominant contributor to the resistance of a lap joint is the interface resistance between the REBCO conductor and its applied silver coating. This property could differ by manufacturer. In this study, a direct comparison is made by fabricating lap joints with REBCO tape from several manufacturers in a range of lengths and measuring the resistance.