Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Trw Limited

Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Quentin P Herr

Anna Y Herr

Donald Lynn Miller

Randall M Burnett

Alexander Louis Braun

James Edward Baumgardner

Mark Winslow Johnson

Haitao O Dai

Aaron A Pesetski

Jonathan D Egan

Ofer Naaman

Steven Brian Shauck

Andrew Hostetler Miklich

Harold Clifton Hearne, Iii

Ryan Edward Clarke

Timothy Chi-Chao Lee

John Xavier Przybysz

Arnold H Silver

Douglas M Carmean

George L Kerber

Vladimir Vladimirovich Talanov

Joshua A Strong

Dale J Durand

Lynn A Abelson

Bruce J Dalrymple

Steven B Shauck

Vladimir V Talanov

Dipankar Bhattacharya

Donald L Miller

Andrew Donovan Smith

William Robert Reohr

Eileen Jiwon Min

Brian Lee Koehler

Pavel Borodulin

Jeremy William Horner

Henry Y Luo

Randal L Posey

Michael S Wire

Corey Arthur Kegerreis

James E Baumgardner, Ii

James F Wise

David C Harms

Christopher S Bulla

Theodore R Blank

Edward Rudman

Harold Clifton Hearne

John Xaiver Przybysz

One example includes an isochronous receiver system. The system includes a pulse receiver configured to receive an input data signal from a transmission line and to convert the input data signal to a pulse signal. The system also includes a converter system comprising a phase converter system. The phase converter system includes a plurality of pulse converters associated with a respective plurality of sampling windows across a period of an AC clock signal. At least two of the sampling windows overlap at any given phase of the AC clock signal, such that the converter system is configured to generate an output pulse signal that is phase-aligned with at least one of a plurality of sampling phases of the AC clock signal based on associating the pulse signal with at least two of the sampling windows.

Superconducting isochronous receiver system

One example describes a superconducting current source system comprising a linear flux-shuttle. The linear flux-shuttle includes an input and a plurality of Josephson transmission line (JTL) stages. Each of the JTL stages includes at least one Josephson junction, an output inductor, and a clock input. The linear flux-shuttle can be configured to generate a direct current (DC) output current via the output inductor associated with each of the JTL stages in response to the at least one Josephson junction triggering in a sequence in each of the JTL stages along the linear flux-shuttle in response to receiving an input pulse at the input and in response to a clock signal provided to the clock input in each of the JTL stages.

Superconducting current source system

Superconducting integrated circuit layouts are proofed against the detrimental effects of stray flux by designing and fabricating them to have one or more ground planes patterned in the x-y plane with a regular grid of low-aspect-ratio flux-trapping voids. The ground plane(s) can be globally patterned with such voids and thousands or more superconducting circuit devices and wires can thereafter be laid out so as not to intersect or come so close to the voids that the trapped flux would induce supercurrents in them, thus preventing undesirable coupling of flux into circuit elements. Sandwiching a wire layer between patterned ground planes permits wires to be laid out even closer to the voids. Voids of successively smaller maximum dimension can be concentrically stacked in pyramidal fashion in multiple ground plane layers having different superconductor transition temperatures, increasing the x-y area available for device placement and wire-up.

Superconductor ground plane patterning geometries that attract magnetic flux

Non-destructive read out (NDRO) circuits are provided for use in reciprocal quantum logic (RQL) superconducting systems. Each NDRO circuit includes a 'body' circuit that provides a single or multi-state sub-critical bias current to one or many independent 'tail' circuitries. Each &#x201c;tail&#x201d; has minimal effect on the &#x201c;body&#x201d; thereby preventing any interference or destruction to the state of the &#x201c;body&#x201d; circuitry. The circuits reduce device count and thereby increase circuit density, simplify and reduce the cost of fabrication, and provide functionality not available in existing designs, such as the ability to write a state and read it in the same operation cycle. The NDRO circuits provide more compact unit cells useful in memory or logic arrays, demanding fewer resources with increased functionality. The circuits also provide compact cells for AND, AND-OR, A-NOT-B, inverter, multiplexer, and demultiplexer gates.

Superconducting non-destructive readout circuits

One example includes a superconducting clock conditioning system. The system includes a plurality of inductive stages. Each of the plurality of inductive stages includes an inductive signal path that includes at least one inductor and a Josephson junction. The superconducting clock conditioning system is configured to receive an input AC clock signal and to output a conditioned AC clock signal having an approximately square-wave characteristic and having a peak amplitude that is less than a peak amplitude of the input AC clock signal.

Superconducting clock conditioning system

Superconducting circuits for processing input signals are described. An example superconducting circuit includes a first portion configured to receive an input signal having a data pattern represented by edge transitions in the input signal. The superconducting circuit further includes a second portion configured to provide an output signal, where the superconducting circuit is configured to, without applying a direct-current (DC) offset to the input signal, output the output signal corresponding to the edge transitions such that the output signal is substantially representative of the data pattern despite not applying the DC offset to the input signal.

Superconducting circuit for processing input signals

A Josephson memory array and logic circuits use quasi-long-Josephson-junction interconnects to propagate signals at fast speeds and low energy expense, while permitting for memory arrays as dense fabrics of relatively simple unit cell sub-circuits, which include &#x3c0; Josephson junctions, connected together by the interconnects. Each of the unit cell sub-circuits can be configured as a looped or linear arrangement. The unit cell sub-circuits and interconnects provide a fast, dense memory technology for reciprocal quantum logic (RQL), suitable for low-level caches and other memories collocated with an RQL processor.

Josephson memory and logic circuits using quasi-long-junction interconnect

A Josephson memory array and logic circuits use quasi-long-Josephson-junction interconnects to propagate signals at fast speeds and low energy expense, while permitting for memory arrays as dense fabrics of relatively simple unit cell sub-circuits, which include it Josephson junctions, connected together by the interconnects. Each of the unit cell sub-circuits can be configured as a looped or linear arrangement. The unit cell sub-circuits and interconnects provide a fast, dense memory technology for reciprocal quantum logic (RQL), suitable for low-level caches and other memories collocated with an RQL processor.

Output amplifier comprising a stack of compound superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) output amplifier stages and related methods are provided. A method includes receiving a first pulse train comprising a first plurality of single flux quantum (SFQ) pulses. The method may further include receiving a second pulse train comprising a second plurality of SFQ pulses, where the second pulse train is delayed by a predetermined fraction of a clock cycle relative to the first pulse train. The method may further include using the stack of the plurality of compound SQUID output amplifier stages converting the first plurality of SFQ pulses and the second plurality of SFQ pulses into a voltage waveform, where each of the plurality of compound SQUID output amplifier stages comprises a pair of superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs).

Compound superconducting quantum interference device output amplifier and methods

Capacitively coupled superconducting integrated circuits powered using alternating current clock signals are described. An example superconducting integrated circuit includes a first clock line coupled via a first capacitor to a first superconducting circuit including a first Josephson junction, where the first capacitor is configured to receive a first clock signal having a first phase and couple a first bias current to the first superconducting circuit. The superconducting integrated circuit further includes a second clock line coupled via a second capacitor to a second superconducting circuit including a second Josephson junction, where the second capacitor is configured to receive a second clock signal having a second phase and couple a second bias current to the second superconducting circuit, and where the second phase is different from the first phase.

Capacitively coupled superconducting integrated circuits powered using alternating current clock signals

Current-based superconductor memory cell and related systems and methods are provided. A method in a memory system, having at least one storage circuit and at least one read SQUID, includes applying bit-line current, via a read bit-line not including any Josephson transmission line (JTL) elements, to the at least one read SQUID. The method further includes applying word-line current, via a read word-line not including any JTL elements, to the at least one read SQUID. The method further includes using the at least one read SQUID reading a logic state of the memory cell based on data maintained in the storage circuit.

Memory system with signals on read lines not phase-aligned with Josephson transmission line (JTL) elements included in the write lines

One embodiment includes a clock distribution system. The system includes a standing-wave resonator configured to receive and to resonate a sinusoidal clock signal. The standing-wave resonator includes at least one anti-node portion associated with a peak current amplitude of the sinusoidal clock signal. The system also includes at least one clock line interconnecting each of the at least one anti-node portion and an associated circuit. The at least one clock line can be configured to propagate the sinusoidal clock signal for timing functions associated with the associated circuit.

Clock distribution system

The circuit includes a memory array arranged as rows and columns of memory cells. An array portion stores a respective memory word in a given one of the rows in response to a word-write signal corresponding to a write address of the given one of the rows and in response to a plurality of bit-write signals associated with the plurality of columns, and reads a respective memory word from a given one of the rows in response to a word-read signal corresponding to a read address of the given one of the rows and in response to a plurality of bit-read signals associated with the plurality of columns. The circuit also includes a write-through detection system that activates an analog bypass portion to read the memory word from the analog bypass portion in response to the read address being the same as the write address.

Write-through detection for a memory circuit with an analog bypass portion

Growing community of inventors

Ellicott City, MD, United States of America

Quentin P Herr