Abstract
The bulk specimen of superconductor powder shows no superconductive characteristics as die-pressed. In this paper, we propose a technique of forming a superconductive layer in the surface of the bulk specimen of a Bi system using a laser. The powder of the Bi system was press-formed, followed by melting of the surface scanned by a CO2 laser beam. This treatment results in a gradual temperature change, from the melting to the non-heat-affecting range both on the surface and inside the bulk. We found a superconductive layer, as thick as 130 μm, underneath the melted layer that shows semiconductive characteristics. This technique allows melting of the surface, and thus it has the advantage of high reproducibility without strict control of laser treatment conditions.