At&t Bell Laboratories

Bell Telephone Laboratories

John Montsma

Bruce E Briley

Mikiel L Larson

A structure connecting superconductor transmission lines to integrated circuits comprises a plurality of interconnection substrates having superconducting transmission path deposited thereon in contact with metallic contact areas, and integrated circuit chip carrier substrates for mounting integrated circuits and having metallic contact areas. The substrates are mounted in a retainer structure and are separated by spacers which have apertures in registration with the contact areas. Contact devices are selectively inserted in the apertures to establish an interconnection pattern between the substrates. The retainer structure applies force to the substrates to assure physical contact between the substrates and the contact device. The structure may be assembled and disassembled for replacement of parts or reconfiguration of interconnections, without the application of heat or other processes which are incompatible with relatively brittle and heat sensitive superconducting materials. The complete structure may be submerged in a bath of liquid nitrogen for cooling. The space provided by the spacers allows for access by the cooling liquid to the superconducting material on the substrates.

Superconductor interconnection apparatus

An electronic system having components operating at low temperature at various locations within the system, cryogenic fluid and electrical power are distributed by means of the same conduit. In one embodiment, the conduit consists of a supply section and a return section with each section comprising a channel for conveying cryogenic fluid having superconducing walls for conveying electrical power. In another embodiment of the invention, the conduit comprises a copper rod having channels formed therein for the transport of cryogenic fluid and a channel for supporting a rod of superconducing material therein. The superconducing rod conducts electrical current to a subsystem while being cooled by cryogenic fluid in nearby channels and the cryogenic fluid is used at its destination for cooling purposes. In yet another embodiment of the invention, cryogenic fluid is transported between a source of cryogen and subsystems using the fluid, by means of a pair of concentric conduits with the walls of each conduit comprising superconducting material for simultaneously providing electrical power to the subsystems employing the cryogenic fluid.

Superconducting bus bar

A time division multiplex (TDM) switching network is disclosed in which at least part of the network comprises a space switching portion (TMS) and in which the need for duplication of the space switching portion, and like methods of achieving network reliability, is eliminated. Data from an incoming channel is partitioned into successive blocks, a prescribed number of which form a set of blocks. The blocks are of predetermined size. Each of the blocks of a set is switched via different paths of the space portion of the network. A single network fault can therefore cause the loss of only one block of data in a set. This loss can be made insignificant in the case of data representing telephone conversations. For data not representing telephone conversations, error checking and correcting information is added to the set before transmission through the space portion of the network and errors occurring during transmission are corrected thereafter.

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Wheaton, IL, United States of America

John Montsma