Solid-state cooler device with grid point contacts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12426504-B2
Application number	US-202318363450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2023
Priority date	Aug 1, 2023
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solid-state cooler device comprising:
a first portion having a normal metal heat sink layer and a plurality of first elongated parallel ridges disposed over the normal metal heat sink layer, the plurality of first elongated parallel ridges extending from one edge to an opposite edge of the normal metal heat sink layer; and
a second portion disposed over the first portion, the second portion having an NIS junction comprising a normal metal layer, an insulator layer and, a superconductor layer and a plurality of second elongated parallel ridges disposed over the superconductor layer of the NIS junction, the plurality of second elongated parallel ridges extending from one edge to an opposite edge of the superconductor layer,
wherein the plurality of first elongated parallel ridges are in contact and orthogonal to the plurality of second elongated parallel ridges to provide a plurality of grid point contacts.

2. The solid-state cooler device of claim 1 , wherein the solid-state cooler device is configured to move quasiparticles from the from the normal metal layer of the NIS junction to the normal metal heat sink layer in response to a current that flows across the NIS junction.

3. The solid-state cooler device of claim 2 , further comprising an interface layer disposed between the plurality of first elongated parallel ridges and the normal metal heat sink layer, the interface layer providing a large contact area for the quasiparticles to spread out and enter the normal metal heat sink layer.

4. The solid-state cooler device of claim 3 , wherein the interface layer is formed of the same material as the plurality of first elongated parallel ridges.

5. The solid-state cooler device of claim 3 , wherein two or more of the materials that form the superconductor material layer of the NIS junction, the plurality of second elongated parallel ridges, the plurality of first elongated parallel ridges and the interface layer are formed of different superconductor materials that have progressively decreasing superconducting energy bandgaps from the superconductor material layer of the NIS junction to the interface layer.

6. The solid-state cooler device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first elongated parallel ridges are formed of one of superconductor materials and a metal contacting a trap and the plurality of second elongated parallel ridges are formed of superconductor materials.

7. The solid-state cooler device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first elongated parallel ridges are about 50 nm to about 500 nm wide and spaced apart from one another by about 1 μm to about 5 μm spaces, and the plurality of second elongated parallel ridges are about 50 nm to about 500 nm wide and spaced apart from one another by about 1 μm to about 5 μm spaces.

8. The solid-state cooler device of claim 1 , wherein the total contact area of the plurality of grid point contacts is less than 1 % of the area of the superconductor layer of the NIS junction and the area of the normal metal heat sink layer.

9. The solid-state cooler device of claim 1 , wherein normal metal materials of the solid-state cooler are selected from the group comprising gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tungsten (W), titanium tungsten (TiW), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti) and chromium (Cr), and wherein superconductor materials of the solid-state cooler are selected from the group comprising indium (In), niobium (Nb), aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), tin (Sn), molybdenum (Mo), tantalum (Ta), Vanadium (v).

10. A refrigeration system comprising a plurality of refrigeration stages, wherein a last stage comprises a refrigeration container formed from one or more plates and a plurality of solid-state cooler devices as claimed in claim 1 disposed about the outside of the refrigeration container.

11. A refrigeration system comprising:
a refrigeration container formed from one or more plates;
a plurality of solid-state cooler devices surrounding the outside of the refrigeration container wherein each of the solid-state cooler devices comprises:
a first portion having a normal metal heat sink layer, a superconductor interface layer disposed on the normal metal heat sink layer, and a plurality of first elongated parallel superconductor ridges disposed over the superconductor interface layer, the plurality of first elongated parallel superconductor ridges extending from one edge to an opposite edge of the superconductor interface layer; and
a second portion disposed over the first portion, the second portion having an NIS junction comprising a normal metal layer, an insulator layer and, a superconductor layer and a plurality of second elongated parallel superconductor ridges disposed over the superconductor layer of the NIS junction, the plurality second elongated parallel superconductor ridges extending from one edge to an opposite edge of the superconductor layer,
wherein the plurality of first elongated parallel superconductor ridges are in contact and orthogonal to the plurality of second elongated parallel superconductor ridges to provide a plurality of grid point contacts that provide paths for quasiparticles to move from the normal metal layer of the NIS junction to the normal metal heat sink layer in response to a critical current that flows across the NIS junction.

12. The refrigeration system of claim 11 , wherein two or more of the materials that form the superconductor material layer of the NIS junction, the plurality of second elongated parallel superconductor ridges, the plurality of first elongated parallel superconductor ridges and the interface layer are formed of different superconductor materials that have progressively decreasing superconducting energy bandgaps from the superconductor material layer of the NIS junction to the interface layer.

13. The refrigeration system of claim 11 , wherein two or more of the materials that form the superconductor material layer of the NIS junction, the plurality of second elongated parallel superconductor ridges, the plurality of first elongated parallel superconductor ridges and the interface layer are formed of a normal metal in contact with a trap.

14. The refrigeration system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of first elongated parallel superconductor ridges are about 50 nm to about 500 nm wide and spaced apart from one another by about 1 μm to about 5 μm spaces, and the plurality of second elongated parallel superconductor ridges are about 50 nm to about 500 nm wide and spaced apart from one another by about 1 μm to about 5 μm spaces.

Assignees

• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Przybysz John X
• Hathaway Aaron Ashley
• Engbrecht Edward R
• Young Robert M

Classifications

• H10N10/8552

  the compounds being superconducting · CPC title

• H10N10/01 Primary

  Manufacture or treatment · CPC title

• F25B21/02

  using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect · CPC title

• F25B21/00

  Machines, plants or systems, using electric or magnetic effects · CPC title

• H10N10/17 Primary

  characterised by the structure or configuration of the cell or thermocouple forming the device · CPC title