Superconducting switch system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9928948-B2
Application number	US-201414564996-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2014
Priority date	Dec 9, 2014
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

A superconducting switch system is provided that includes a filter network having an input portion and an output portion, and a variable inductance coupling element that couples the input portion to the output portion. The variable inductance coupling element has a first inductance that allows a desired portion of an input signal to pass from the input portion to the output portion as an output signal, and a second inductance state that suppresses the input signal from passing from the input portion to the output portion. The superconducting switch system further comprises a switch controller configured to control the switching of the variable inductance coupling element between the first inductance state and the second inductance state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A superconducting switch system comprising:
a filter network having an input portion and an output portion;
one or more input resonators formed of a first inductor and one or more additional impedance components;
one or more output resonators formed of a second inductor and one or more additional impedance components;
a Josephson junction that couples the input portion to the output portion, the Josephson junction having a first inductance state that allows a desired portion of an input signal to pass from the input portion to the output portion as an output signal, and a second inductance state that suppresses the desired portion of the input signal from passing from the input portion to the output portion; and
a switch controller configured to control the switching of the Josephson junction between the first inductance state and the second inductance state,
wherein the Josephson junction is coupled on a first end to the first inductor and on a second end to the second inductor, and
wherein the first inductor, the Josephson junction and the second inductor form a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID).

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the Josephson junction is configured as a flux-controlled variable inductor that provides variable inductance based on an amplitude of a current flowing through the flux-controlled variable inductor.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a bias element inductively coupled to the SQUID to induce a current through the SQUID based on a current flowing through the bias element.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the switch controller controls an amount of current through the bias element.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the switch controller can provide either a current or no current to the bias element that substantially induces a low current or no current to the SQUID to provide the first inductance or provide a current to the bias element that substantially induces a second predetermined current due to a flux applied to the SQUID of about 0.1 Φ 0 to about 0.45 Φ 0 , where Φ 0 is equal to a flux quantum.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an input coupling capacitor coupled between an input of the filter network and the SQUID and an output coupling capacitor coupled between an output of the filter network and the SQUID, the input coupling capacitor and the output coupling capacitor ensuring that current that flows through the SQUID is isolated from flowing through other parts of the filter network.

7. A superconducting switch system comprising:
a filter network having an input terminal and an output terminal;
a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) coupled between the input terminal and the output terminal, the SQUID having a Josephson junction, a first inductor coupled to a first end of the Josephson junction, and a second inductor coupled to a second end of the Josephson junction with opposing ends of the first and second inductor coupled to a common potential to form a superconducting loop;
a switch controller configured to control an amount of induced current through the superconducting loop to switch the Josephson junction between a first inductance state in which a desired bandwidth portion of an input signal provided at the input terminal is provided at the output terminal, and a second inductance state in which the desired bandwidth portion of the input signal provided at the input terminal is suppressed from passing to the output terminal; and
a bias element inductively coupled to the SQUID to induce a current through the SQUID based on a current flowing through the bias element,
wherein the switch controller switches between either providing a current to the bias element that substantially induces no current or a low current to the SQUID to provide the first inductance or providing a current to the bias element that substantially induces a second predetermined current to the SQUID to provide the second inductance, the switching system being in the ‘ON’ state at the first inductance, and the ‘OFF’ state at the second inductance.

8. The system of claim 7 , further comprising one or more input resonators formed of the first inductor and one or more additional impedance components and one or more output resonators formed of the second inductor and one or more additional impedance components.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one of the one or more input resonators and output resonators is implemented as short-terminated transmission line stubs.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein an input resonator is formed of the first inductor series coupled with a third inductor and coupled in parallel with a first capacitor, and an output resonator is formed of the second inductor series coupled with a fourth inductor and coupled in parallel with a second capacitor.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein an input resonator is formed of the first inductor series coupled with a first capacitor and coupled in parallel with a third inductor, and an output resonator is formed of the second inductor series coupled with a second capacitor and coupled in parallel with a fourth inductor.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising an input coupling inductor between the input terminal and the third inductor, and an output coupling inductor between the output terminal and the fourth inductor.

13. The system of claim 7 , further comprising an input coupling capacitor coupled between the input terminal and the SQUID and an output coupling capacitor coupled between the output terminal and the SQUID, the input coupling capacitor and the output coupling capacitor ensuring that current that flows through the SQUID is isolated from flowing though other parts of the filter network.

14. A method of providing a superconducting switch system, the method comprising:
determining a desired pass-band output for passing a desired bandwidth portion of an input signal to an output of a superconducting switch;
determining a band-pass filter network topology for the superconducting switch;
determining a radio frequency (RF) Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) insertion point in the band-pass filter, the RF SQUID comprising a first inductor coupled to a variable inductance coupling element on a first end and a second inductor coupled to the variable inductance coupling element on a second end in a superconducting loop;
determining one or more input resonators and one or more output resonator component values for providing the superconducting switch;
building a superconductor switch system that includes the superconducting switch comprising the one or more input resonators, the one or more output resonators and the RF SQUID, a bias inductor coupled to the RF SQUID and a switch controller that switches an amount of current through the bias inductor and induced in the RF SQUID to change the superconductor switch system between one of an ‘ON’ state and an ‘OFF’ state; and
determining inductor component values for the RF SQUID, wherein the determining inductor component values of the RF SQUID comprises assuring that the RF SQUID linear inductance does not exceed the inductance of the variable inductance element.

Assignees

• Naaman Ofer
• Abutaleb Mohamed O
• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Naaman Ofer
• Abutaleb Mohamed O

Classifications

• H03H3/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of impedance networks, resonating circuits, resonators · CPC title

• H01F6/06 Primary

  Coils, e.g. winding, insulating, terminating or casing arrangements therefor · CPC title

• H03H7/0153

  Electrical filters; Controlling thereof · CPC title

• H03K17/92 Primary

  by the use, as active elements, of superconductive devices · CPC title