Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Westinghouse Electric Corporation

John Xavier Przybysz

Aaron Ashley Hathaway

Robert Miles Young

Aaron A Pesetski

Donald Lynn Miller

Donald L Miller

Edward R Engbrecht

John H Murphy

Michael R Daniel

Gregory R Boyd

John D Adam

James Edward Baumgardner

Monica P Lilly

Patrick Loney

Daniel Robert Queen

Joonhee Kang

Hong Zhang

Quentin P Herr

Andre E Berghmans

Eric H Naviasky

Wayne Stephen Miller

Clark A Hamilton

Matthew J Walker

Joseph Buttyan

Harvey C Nathanson

Anthony Joseph Przybysz

Michael C Driver

Stephen P Caldwell

Zachary Keane

John A Ostop

Howard N Fudem

Marc Eisenzweig Sherwin

Dale E Dawson

Andrew Hostetler Miklich

James Redding Medford

Samuel Paul Benz

Thomas J Smith, Jr

Richard D Blaugher

Aaron Christopher Lee

Greg Boyd

Anthony H Worsham

Zachary A Stegen

Maaz Aziz

Anthony Hodge Worsham

Earl S Schlegel, Deceased

Ouentin P Herr

Quentin P Herring

Jim Murduck

Norman Goldstein

Patrick Alan Loney

One example includes a superconducting circuit system. The system includes at least one bias input configured to provide a bias current to a superconducting device via at least one superconducting device bias line coupled to the superconducting device during operation of the superconducting device. The system further includes a thermal transition filter system interconnecting the superconducting device bias line and the bias input. The thermal transition filter system provides a current path to divert noise current provided from the bias input away from the superconducting device during a temperature transition from a first temperature to a second temperature. The first temperature is greater than a highest superconducting critical temperature associated with the superconducting circuit system and the second temperature is less than a lowest superconducting critical temperature for the superconducting circuit system.

Thermal transition filter for a superconducting circuit system

A solid-state cooler device is disclosed that includes a first portion having a normal metal heat sink layer and a plurality of first parallel ridges disposed over the normal metal heat sink layer, and a second portion having a normal metal layer, insulator layer, superconductor layer (NIS) junction and a plurality of second parallel ridges disposed over the superconductor layer of the NIS junction. The plurality of first parallel ridges are in contact and orthogonal to the plurality of second parallel ridges to provide a plurality of grid point contacts.

Solid-state cooler device with grid point contacts

An integrated circuit is provided that comprises a first thermal sink layer, a first ground plane associated with a first set of circuits that have a first operational temperature requirement, a first thermally conductive via that couples the first ground plane to the first thermal sink layer, a second thermal sink layer, a second ground plane associated with a second set of circuits that have a second operational temperature requirement that is higher than the first operational temperature requirement, and a second thermally conductive via that couples the second ground plane to the second thermal sink layer. The first thermal sink layer is cooled at a first temperature to maintain the first set of circuits at the first operational temperature requirement and the second thermal sink layer is cooled at a second temperature to maintain the second set of circuits at the second operational temperature requirement.

Superconducting device including set of circuits having different operational temperature requirements with multiple thermal sinks and multiple ground planes

Superconducting device having a plurality of thermal sink layers and a plurality of ground planes

A superconductor junction includes a normal metal layer having a first side and a second side, an insulating layer overlying the second side of the normal metal layer, and a first superconductor layer formed of a first superconductor material that overlies a side of the insulating layer opposite the side that overlies the normal metal layer. The superconductor junction further includes a second superconductor layer formed of a second superconductor material with a first side overlying a side of the first superconductor material opposite the side that overlies the insulating layer. The second superconductor material has a higher diffusion coefficient than the first superconductor material and/or the second superconductor material has a lower recombination coefficient than the first superconductor metal layer. A normal metal layer quasiparticle trap is coupled to a second side of the second superconductor layer.

Superconductor junction for a solid state cooler

A solid state cooler device is disclosed that comprises a first normal metal pad, a first aluminum layer and a second aluminum layer disposed on the first normal metal pad and separated from one another by a gap, a first aluminum oxide layer formed on the first aluminum layer, and a second aluminum oxide layer formed on the second aluminum layer, and a first superconductor pad disposed on the first aluminum oxide layer and a second superconductor pad disposed on the second aluminum oxide layer. The device further comprises a first conductive pad coupled to the first superconductor pad, and a second conductive pad coupled to the second superconductor pad, wherein hot electrons are removed from the first normal metal pad when a bias voltage is applied between the first conductive pad and the second conductive pad.

Cooler device with aluminum oxide insulators

A solid state cooler device is provided that includes a substrate, a first and second conductive pad disposed on the substrate, a first and second superconductor pad each having a side with a plurality of conductive pad contact interfaces spaced apart from one another and being in contact with a surface of respective first and second conductive pads, and a first and second insulating layer disposed between respective first and second superconductor pads, and respective ends of a normal metal layer. A bias voltage is applied between one of a first conductive pad or first superconductor pad and one of the second conductive pad or the second superconductor pad to remove hot electrons from the normal metal layer, and the contact area of the plurality of first and second conductive pad contact interfaces inhibits the transfer of heat back to the first and second superconductor pads.

Solid state cooler device

A superconductor thermal filter is disclosed that includes a normal metal layer having a first side, an insulating layer overlying the first side of the normal metal layer, and a multilayer superconductor structure having a first side overlying a side of the insulating layer opposite the side that overlies the normal metal layer. The multilayer superconductor structure is comprised of a plurality of superconductor layers with each superconductor layer having a smaller superconducting energy band gap than the preceding superconductor as the superconductor layers extend away from the normal metal layer. The thermal filter further includes a normal metal layer quasiparticle trap having a first side and a second side with the first side being disposed on a second side of the multilayer superconductor. A bias voltage is applied between the normal metal layer and the normal metal layer quasiparticle trap to remove hot electrons from the normal metal layer.

Superconductor thermal filter

Superconducting device with multiple thermal sinks

A solid state cooler device is disclosed that includes a first superconductor shunt, a first normal metal pad disposed on the first superconductor shunt, and a first insulator layer and a second insulator layer disposed on the normal metal pad and separated from one another by a gap. The solid state cooler device also includes a first superconductor pad disposed on the first insulator layer and a second superconductor pad disposed on the second insulator layer, a first conductive pad coupled to the first superconductor pad, and a second conductive pad coupled to the second superconductor pad. Hot electrons are removed from the first normal metal pad when a bias voltage is applied between the first conductive pad and the second conductive pad, wherein the first superconductor shunt facilitates even current distribution through the device.

Cooler device with superconductor shunts

An integrated circuit is provided that comprises a thermal sink layer, a first ground plane associated with a first set of circuits that have a first operational temperature requirement, and a first thermally conductive via that couples the first ground plane to the thermal sink layer. The circuit further comprises a second ground plane associated with a second set of circuits that have a second operational temperature requirement that is higher than the first operational temperature requirement, and a second thermally conductive via that couples the second ground plane to the thermal sink layer, wherein the first thermally conductive via has a greater volume of thermal conductive material than the second thermally conductive via to remove heat from the first set of circuits with less gradient than the second set of circuits.

Integrated circuit having a heat sink coupled to separate ground planes through vias with different thermal characteristics

An integrated circuit is provided that comprises a first ground plane associated with a first set of circuits that have a first operational temperature requirement, and a second ground plane associated with a second set of circuits that have a second operational temperature requirement that is higher than the first operational temperature requirement. The second ground plane is substantially thermally isolated from the first ground plane. A superconducting coupler electrically couples the first ground plane and the second ground plane while maintaining relative thermal isolation between the first ground plane and the second ground plane.

Thermally isolated ground planes with a superconducting electrical coupler

Cryogenic integrated circuit having a heat sink coupled to separate ground planes through differently sized thermal vias

A cobalt-carbon (Co&#x2014;C) eutectic metal alloy ohmic contact for a radio-frequency (RF) carbon nanotube (CNT) field effect transistor (FET) device and a method of manufacturing same are disclosed. Embodiments of a method include providing a graphite crucible, placing Co and a C source within the graphite crucible, heating the graphite crucible containing the Co and C source such that the Co and C source combine with graphite from the graphite crucible to thereby form a Co&#x2014;C eutectic metal alloy, and creating an ohmic contact by depositing the Co&#x2014;C eutectic metal alloy directly on top surfaces of CNTs of a RF CNT FET device such that the Co&#x2014;C eutectic metal alloy is in direct contact with the CNTs. The Co&#x2014;C eutectic metal alloy ohmic contact formed in this manner is consistently stabile and uniform and functions as a high work function layer that also serves as an adhesion layer to the CNTs.

Carbon mixture ohmic contact for carbon nanotube transistor devices

Growing community of inventors

Severna Park, MD, United States of America

John Xavier Przybysz