Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Aurelius L Graninger

Michael Rennie

Joel D Strand

Christopher F Kirby

Justin C Hackley

Aaron A Pesetski

Jeffrey David Hartman

Zachary Keane

Micah John Atman Stoutimore

Robert Miles Young

Daniel J O'Donnell

Dustin Ray Johnson

Zachary Kyle Keane

Micah John Stoutimore

Daniel J O'DONNELL

One embodiment of the invention includes a switch circuit including a first superconducting transmission line, a second superconducting transmission line and a phase-change material switch that is coupled between the first and second superconducting transmission lines. The phase-change material switch includes a switch portion that includes a phase-change material that is superconducting in a first state of the switch portion and blocking in a second state of the switch portion, such that the phase change material switch is configured to propagate an input signal from the first superconducting transmission line to the second superconducting transmission line in the first state, and to prohibit propagation of the input signal from the first superconducting transmission line to the second superconducting transmission line in the second state.

Superconducting phase-change material switch

A superconducting DC switch system is provided. The superconducting DC switch system comprises one or more Josephson junctions (JJs), and a magnetic field generator that is configured to switch from inducing a magnetic field in a plane of the one or more JJs, and providing no magnetic field in the plane of the one or more JJs. A DC input signal applied at an input of the one or more JJs is passed through to an output the one or more JJs in the absence of an induced magnetic field, and the DC input signal is substantially suppressed at the output of the one or more JJs in the presence of the magnetic field.

Superconducting DC switch system

A superconducting AC switch system includes a switch network configuration comprising a Josephson junction (JJ) coupled to a transmission line having a transmission line impedance, and a magnetic field generator that is configured to switch from inducing a magnetic field in a plane of the JJ, and providing no magnetic field in the plane of the JJ. An AC input signal applied at an input of the switch network configuration is passed through to an output of the switch network configuration in a first magnetic state, and substantially reflected back to the input of the switch network configuration in a second magnetic state. The first magnetic state is one of inducing and not inducing a magnetic field in a plane of the JJ, and the second magnetic state is the other of inducing and not inducing a magnetic field in a plane of the JJ.

Superconducting AC switch system

Test structures and methods for superconducting bump bond electrical characterization are used to verify the superconductivity of bump bonds that electrically connect two superconducting integrated circuit chips fabricated using a flip-chip process, and can also ascertain the self-inductance of bump bond(s) between chips. The structures and methods leverage a behavioral property of superconducting DC SQUIDs to modulate a critical current upon injection of magnetic flux in the SQUID loop, which behavior is not present when the SQUID is not superconducting, by including bump bond(s) within the loop, which loop is split among chips. The sensitivity of the bump bond superconductivity verification is therefore effectively perfect, independent of any multi-milliohm noise floor that may exist in measurement equipment.

Superconducting bump bond electrical characterization

A method of forming a superconductor structure is disclosed. The method comprises forming a superconductor line in a first dielectric layer, forming a resistor with an end coupled to an end of the superconductor line, and forming a second dielectric layer overlying the resistor. The method further comprises etching a tapered opening through the second dielectric layer to the resistor, and performing a contact material fill with a normal metal material to fill the tapered opening and form a normal metal connector coupled to the resistor.

Superconductor structure with normal metal connection to a resistor and method of making the same

A system for measuring critical temperatures of superconducting components of a superconducting circuit housed in a cryogenic chamber with a controllable ambient temperature is described. The superconducting circuit can have a plurality of superconductor-resistor pairs connected in series. Each of the plurality of superconductor-resistor pairs can include a superconducting component and a resistor coupled in parallel with the superconducting component. The system can also include a resistance meter that measures a resistance of the superconducting circuit. The system further includes a controller that commands the cryogenic chamber to gradually sweep the ambient temperature. The controller can also record an instant ambient temperature as a critical temperature for a given superconducting component of a corresponding one of the plurality of superconductor-resistor pairs in response to detecting a change in a measured resistance across an input node and an output node of the superconducting circuit.

Superconductor critical temperature measurement

A method is provided of forming a superconductor device interconnect structure. The method includes forming a first high temperature dielectric layer overlying a substrate, forming a base electrode in the first high temperature dielectric layer with the base electrode having a top surface aligned with the top surface of the first high temperature dielectric layer, and depositing a second high temperature dielectric layer over the first high temperature dielectric layer and the base electrode. The method further comprises forming a first contact through the second dielectric layer to a first end of the base electrode, forming a Josephson junction (JJ) overlying and in contact with the first contact, and forming a second contact through the second dielectric layer to a second end of the base electrode.

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Sykesville, MD, United States of America

Aurelius L Graninger