Superconducting switch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12199604-B1
Application number	US-202318099861-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 20, 2023
Priority date	Apr 10, 2019
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

The various embodiments described herein include methods, devices, and circuits for reducing switch transition time of superconductor switches. In some embodiments, an electrical circuit includes: (i) an input component configured to generate heat in response to an electrical input; and (ii) a first superconducting component thermally-coupled to the input component. The electrical circuit is configured such that, in the absence of the electrical input, at least a portion of the first superconducting component is maintained in a non-superconducting state in the absence of the electrical input; and, in response to the electrical input, the first superconducting component transitions to a superconducting state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical circuit, comprising:
an input component comprising a thermal detection element electrically coupled to a heat generating element, the input component configured to:
generate heat, via the heat generating element, in an absence of a thermal input at the thermal detection element, and
cease to generate the heat in response to receiving the thermal input at the thermal detection element; and

a superconducting component thermally-coupled to and electrically-isolated from the input component, the superconducting component configured to transition from a non-superconducting state to a superconducting state in response to the input component ceasing to generate the heat;
wherein the heat generated from the input component causes the at least a portion of the superconducting component to be in the non-superconducting state.

2. The electrical circuit of claim 1 , wherein the superconducting component has a constricted region at a location adjacent to the heat generating element of the input component.

3. The electrical circuit of claim 1 , further comprising an electrically-insulating component that thermally couples the superconducting component and the input component such that heat produced at the input component is transferred through the electrically-insulating component to the superconducting component.

4. The electrical circuit of claim 3 , wherein the electrically-insulating component is composed of a dielectric material.

5. The electrical circuit of claim 3 , wherein the electrically-insulating component comprises a superconducting material configured to operate in an insulating state.

6. The electrical circuit of claim 3 , wherein the electrically-insulating component is composed of a same material as the superconducting component.

7. The electrical circuit of claim 3 , wherein the electrically-insulating component is an electrically-insulating, thermally-conductive connector positioned between the superconducting component and the input component.

8. The electrical circuit of claim 1 , wherein the electrical circuit is configured to operate as a logical NOT gate; and
wherein a first terminal of the superconducting component corresponds to a source of the logical NOT gate, and wherein a second terminal of the superconducting component corresponds to a drain of the logical NOT gate.

9. The electrical circuit of claim 1 , wherein the input component comprises a superconducting element configured to transition from the superconducting state to the non-superconducting state in response to the thermal input.

10. The electrical circuit of claim 1 , wherein the heat generating element comprises a resistive component that generates resistive heat in response to the thermal input.

11. The electrical circuit of claim 1 , further comprising an output circuit electrically-coupled to the superconducting component.

12. The electrical circuit of claim 11 , wherein the output circuit comprises a feed-forward circuit.

13. The electrical circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a current source electrically coupled to the superconducting component, the current source configured to provide a bias current to the superconducting component.

14. The electrical circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a photon detection component coupled to the input component and configured to generate the thermal input in response to one or more incident photons.

15. The electrical circuit of claim 1 , wherein the superconducting component comprises a superconducting nanowire.

16. The electrical circuit of claim 1 , wherein the input component and the superconducting component are arranged so as to inhibit tunneling effects between the input component and superconducting component.

17. A method, comprising:
maintaining a superconducting component in a non-superconducting state;
while maintaining the superconducting component in the non-superconducting state, receiving a thermal input at an input component that is thermally-coupled to and electrically-isolated from the superconducting component;
in response to receiving the thermal input, ceasing to generate heat at the input component; and
in response to ceasing to generate the heat, transitioning the superconducting component from the non-superconducting state to a superconducting state.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising generating the thermal input in response to detecting one or more incident photons.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the thermal input is generated by a heating element electrically coupled to a photon detector that is thermally coupled to the input component.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising providing, via a current source, a bias current to the superconducting component.

Assignees

• Psiquantum Corp

Inventors

• Najafi Faraz
• Jin Stone Qiaodan

Classifications

• H01H3/005

  making use of superconductivity, e.g. levitation switch · CPC title

• H10N60/84

  Switching means for devices switchable between superconducting and normal states · CPC title

• H10N60/35

  Cryotrons · CPC title

• H03K17/0412

  by measures taken in the control circuit · CPC title

• H03K17/94 Primary

  characterised by the way in which the control signals are generated · CPC title