# 2G HTS (REBCO) tape by SuperPower

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/materials/rebco-tape
Frontier: [Materials](https://technooptimist.io/materials.md) · Field: Superconducting wire · Company: [SuperPower](https://technooptimist.io/companies/superpower.md)
Stage: Deploy (4 of 5: Research → Proto → Pilot → Deploy → Scaling)
Updated: last update 2026-06-15, facts checked 2026-10-11
Goal: Make enough high-current superconducting tape for compact fusion magnets, research magnets and power cables. Tape is a bottleneck: one prototype fusion plant may need about 30,000 km of it.
Status: Producing REBCO tape in Glenville, NY for fusion and research magnets; UK production study since June 2026.
Next milestone: UK HTS tape manufacturing study with Tokamak Energy, target Jun 2026

## Milestones

| Status | Milestone | Date | Slip |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Done | SuperPower formed from Intermagnetics General's HTS group | 2000 |   |
| Done | Furukawa Electric completes acquisition from Philips | Feb 2012 |   |
| Done | Production moves to a new facility in Glenville, NY |   |   |
| Done | Tape production for Tokamak Energy's ST80-HTS begins | Jan 2023 |   |
| Current | UK HTS tape manufacturing study with Tokamak Energy | Jun 2026 |   |

## Upcoming events

- **Jun 2026**: UK HTS tape manufacturing study with Tokamak Energy

## Most important updates

- **15 Jun 2026**: Furukawa Electric and Tokamak Energy start study on making HTS tape in the UK. Furukawa Electric, SuperPower's parent, and Tokamak Energy signed an agreement at 10 Downing Street to begin research, prototyping and a feasibility assessment of HTS tape manufacturing in the UK. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/furukawa-electric-and-tokamak-energy-start-study-on-making-hts-tape-in-11ae484d.md) · [original source](https://tokamakenergy.com/2026/06/15/furukawa-electric-and-tokamak-energy-advance-collaboration-on-uk-hts-tape-capability/))
- **11 Jan 2023**: Tokamak Energy signs Furukawa Electric and SuperPower to supply several hundred km of HTS tape for ST80-HTS. Tokamak Energy agreed with Furukawa Electric and its US subsidiary SuperPower to supply high-temperature superconducting tape for its ST80-HTS advanced prototype fusion device. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/tokamak-energy-signs-furukawa-electric-and-superpower-to-supply-several-3013d1d0.md) · [original source](https://www.powermag.com/press-releases/tokamak-energy-and-furukawa-electric-group-strengthen-relationship-to-progress-commercial-fusion-energy))

## Current obstacles

- **Scaling for fusion demand**: Fusion programmes want tens of thousands of km; the UK has no tape factory, and Furukawa's UK work is so far a feasibility study, not a plant.

## Physics limits

- **Crystal alignment sets the current**: REBCO carries far less current across misaligned crystal grains, so every metre must be grown on a textured template; a single weak spot limits the whole length of tape.
- **It must be kept cold**: REBCO superconducts only below about 90 K (-183 °C), and fusion magnets run much colder to carry more current in high fields, so every system needs cryogenic cooling.

## How it works

### Substrate: Polished nickel-alloy ribbon

Production starts with electropolished Hastelloy ribbon, processed 12 mm wide in reel-to-reel machines.

### Texture: Five buffer layers align the crystals

Sputtered buffers block diffusion; an ion-beam-assisted MgO layer lines up the crystal grains so current can cross from grain to grain.

### Superconductor: REBCO grown by MOCVD

A rare-earth barium copper oxide film is grown from vapour. Zirconium-based nanorods pin magnetic vortices, so current stays high in strong fields.

### Finishing: Silver cap, copper armour

Sputtered silver protects the film; electroplated copper carries current safely if the tape briefly stops superconducting. Then it is slit to width.

## Spec sheet

| Spec | 2G HTS (REBCO) tape | Provenance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tape widths | 2, 3, 4 or 6 mm (slit from 12 mm) | reported |
| Copper stabilizer | ~5 µm to over 100 µm | reported |
| Buffer layers | 5 | reported |
| Research magnet field with its tape | >40 T (NHMFL) | reported |
| Tape for Tokamak Energy ST80-HTS | Several hundred km | reported |

Provenance: reported = stated by the company; estimated = our estimate; sample = a sample figure.

## About SuperPower

US maker of second-generation high-temperature superconducting (REBCO) tape in Glenville, New York, owned by Japan's Furukawa Electric since 2012. Its tape goes into record research magnets and fusion prototypes.

- Formed in 2000 from Intermagnetics General's superconductor group; Furukawa Electric bought it from Philips in 2012.
- Supplying several hundred km of tape for Tokamak Energy's ST80-HTS fusion prototype since 2023.
- In June 2026 Furukawa and Tokamak Energy began studying HTS tape manufacturing in the UK.

- Founded: 2000
- Headquarters: US
- Status: subsidiary (Furukawa Electric)
- Website: https://www.superpower-inc.com
- Partners, customers, investors: Furukawa Electric (acquirer); Tokamak Energy (customer); National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (customer)

Company page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/superpower.md

## Related programs

Everything in Materials: https://technooptimist.io/materials.md

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