Showing papers in "Superconductor Science and Technology in 2017"

High power density superconducting rotating machines—development status and technology roadmap

Abstract: Superconducting technology applications in electric machines have long been pursued due to their significant advantages of higher efficiency and power density over conventional technology. However, in spite of many successful technology demonstrations, commercial adoption has been slow, presumably because the threshold for value versus cost and technology risk has not yet been crossed. One likely path for disruptive superconducting technology in commercial products could be in applications where its advantages become key enablers for systems which are not practical with conventional technology. To help systems engineers assess the viability of such future solutions, we present a technology roadmap for superconducting machines. The timeline considered was ten years to attain a Technology Readiness Level of 6+, with systems demonstrated in a relevant environment. Future projections, by definition, are based on the judgment of specialists, and can be subjective. Attempts have been made to obtain input from a broad set of organizations for an inclusive opinion. This document was generated Superconductor Science and Technology Supercond. Sci. Technol. 30 (2017) 123002 (41pp) https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6668/aa833e Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. 0953-2048/17/123002+41$33.00 © 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd Printed in the UK 1 through a series of teleconferences and in-person meetings, including meetings at the 2015 IEEE PES General meeting in Denver, CO, the 2015 ECCE in Montreal, Canada, and a final workshop in April 2016 at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign that brought together a broad group of technical experts spanning the industry, government and academia.

An efficient 3D finite element method model based on the T–A formulation for superconducting coated conductors

Abstract: An efficient three dimensional (3D) finite element method numerical model is proposed for superconducting coated conductors. The model is based on the T–A formulation and can be used to tackle 3D computational challenges for superconductors with high aspect ratios. By assuming a sheet approximation for the conductors, the model can speed up the computational process. The model has been validated by established analytical solutions. Two examples with complex geometries, which can hardly be simulated by the 2D model, are given. The model could be used to characterise and design large-scale applications using superconducting coated conductors, such as high field magnets and other electrical devices.

Introduction of CORC®wires: highly flexible, round high-temperature superconducting wires for magnet and power transmission applications

Abstract: Conductor on Round Core (CORC®) technology has achieved a long sought-after benchmark by enabling the production of round, multifilament, (RE)Ba2Ca3O7−x coated conductors with practical current densities for use in magnets and power applications. Recent progress, including the demonstration of engineering current density beyond 300 Amm−2 at 4.2 K and 20 T, indicates that CORC® cables are a viable conductor for next generation high field magnets. Tapes with 30 μm substrate thickness and tape widths down to 2 mm have improved the capabilities of CORC® technology by allowing the production of CORC® wires as thin as 3 mm in diameter with the potential to enhance the engineering current density further. An important benefit of the thin CORC® wires is their improved flexibility compared to thicker (7–8 mm diameter) CORC® cables. Critical current measurements were carried out on tapes extracted from CORC® wires made using 2 and 3 mm wide tape after bending the wires to various diameters from 10 to 3.5 cm. These thin wires are highly flexible and retain close to 90% of their original critical current even after bending to a diameter of 3.5 cm. A small 5-turn solenoid was constructed and measured as a function of applied magnetic field, exhibiting an engineering current density of 233 Amm−2 at 4.2 K and 10 T. CORC® wires thus form an attractive solution for applications between 4.2 and 77 K, including high-field magnets that require high current densities with small bending diameters, benefiting from a ready-to-use form (similar to NbTi and contrary to Nb3Sn wires) that does not require additional processing following coil construction.

Unprecedented quality factors at accelerating gradients up to 45 MVm-1 in niobium superconducting resonators via low temperature nitrogen infusion

Abstract: We report the finding of new surface treatments that permits one to manipulate the niobium resonator nitrogen content in the first few nanometers in a controlled way, and the resonator fundamental Mattis–Bardeen surface resistance and residual resistance accordingly. In particular, we find surface 'infusion' conditions that systematically (a) increase the quality factor of these 1.3 GHz superconducting radio frequency (SRF) bulk niobium resonators, up to very high gradients; (b) increase the achievable accelerating gradient of the cavity compared to its own baseline with state-of-the-art surface processing. Cavities subject to the new surface process have more than two times the state-of-the-art Q at 2 K for accelerating fields >35 MVm−1. Moreover, very high accelerating gradients ~45 MVm−1 are repeatedly reached, which correspond to peak magnetic surface fields of 190 mT, among the highest measured for bulk niobium cavities. These findings open the opportunity to tailor the surface impurity content distribution to maximize performance in Q and gradients, and have therefore very important implications on future performance and cost of SRF based accelerators. They also help deepen the understanding of the physics of the RF niobium cavity surface.

First performance test of a 25 T cryogen-free superconducting magnet

Abstract: A 25 T cryogen-free superconducting magnet (25T-CSM) was developed and installed at the High Field Laboratory for Superconducting Materials (HFLSM), IMR, Tohoku University. The 25T-CSM consists of a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coil and a low-temperature superconducting (LTS) coil. A high-strength CuNb/Nb3Sn Rutherford cable with a reinforcing stabilizer CuNb composite is adopted for the middle LTS section coil. All the coils were impregnated using an epoxy resin for conduction cooling. Initially, a GdBa2Cu3O y (Gd123) coil was designed as the HTS insert coil, and then a Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O y (Bi2223) coil was also developed. The HTS insert and the LTS (CuNb/Nb3Sn and NbTi) outsert coils are cooled by two 4K GM and two GM/JT cryocoolers, respectively. The LTS coils successfully generated a central magnetic field of 14 T at an operating current of 854 A without any training quench. The Gd123 coil generated 10.15 T at an operating current of 132.6 A in the absence of a background field. Subsequently, the operating current of the Gd123 insert was increased in a step-by-step manner under a background field of 14 T. The Gd123 coil could be operated up to 124.0 A stably, which corresponds to 23.55 T, but quenched at around 124.6 A (23.61 T). The Bi2223 insert coil using a Ni-alloy reinforced Bi2223 tape successfully generated 11.48 T at an operation current of 204.7A in a stand-alone test and 24.57 T in a background field of 14 T. The differences between the calculated and the measured values of the central magnetic fields are about 0.4 T for the Gd123 insert and 0.1 T for the Bi2223 insert around 24 T.

Two-dimensional superconductors with atomic-scale thickness

Abstract: Recent progress in two-dimensional superconductors with atomic-scale thicknesses is reviewed mainly from the experimental point of view. The superconducting systems treated here involve a variety of materials and forms: elemental-metal ultrathin films and atomic layers on semiconductor surfaces; interfaces and superlattices of heterostructures made of cuprates, perovskite oxides, and rare-earth metal heavy-fermion compounds; interfaces of electric-double-layer transistors; graphene and atomic sheets of transition-metal dichalcogenide; iron selenide and organic conductors on oxide and metal surfaces, respectively. Unique phenomena arising from the ultimate two-dimensionality of the system and the physics behind them are discussed.

Review of 2D superconductivity: the ultimate case of epitaxial monolayers

Abstract: The purpose of this review is to focus from an experimental point-of-view on the new physical properties of some of the thinnest superconducting films that can be fabricated and studied in situ nowadays with state-of-the-art methods. An important characteristic of the films we address is that the underlying electronic system forms a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). Up to now there are only few of these systems. Such true 2D superconductors can be divided into two classes: surface-confined or interface-confined films. Because the second types of films are burried below the surface, they are not accessible to purely surface-sensitive techniques like angular-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) or scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). As a consequence the bandstructure characteristics of the 2DEG cannot be probed nor the local superconducting properties. On the other hand, in situ prepared surface-confined films are nowadays accessible not only to ARPES and STS but also to electrical transport measurements. As a consequence surface-confined systems represent at present the best archetypes on which can be summarized the new properties emerging in ultimately thin superconducting films hosting a 2DEG, probed by both macroscopic and microscopic measurement techniques. The model system we will widely refer to consists of a single atomic plane of a conventional superconductor, like for example lead (Pb), grown on top of a semiconducting substrate, like Si(111). In the introductory part 1 we first introduce the topic and give historical insights into this field. Then in the section 2, we introduce useful concepts worked out in studies of so-called 'granular' and 'homogeneous' superconducting thin films that will be necessary to understand the role of non-magnetic disorder on 2DEG superconductors. In this section, we also briefly review the superconducting properties of crystalline Pb/Si(111) ultrathin films grown under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions in order to illustrate their specific properties related to quantum-size effects. In the next section 3 we review the growth methods and structural properties of the presented 2DEG surface-confined superconductors. In section 4, we review the electronic structure and Fermi surface properties as measured by macroscopic ARPES and confront them to ab initio DFT calculations based on the characterized atomic structures of the monolayers. The following section 5 reviews the macroscopic properties inferred from in situ electrical transport measurements methods, including attempts to study the Berezinsky–Kosterlitz–Thouless 2D regime. In the last section 6, we summarize the emerging local spectroscopic properties measured by STS. These latter demonstrate variations of the local superconducting properties at a scale much shorter than the superconducting coherence length due to a combined effect of non-magnetic disorder and two-dimensionality. Further peculiar local spectroscopic effects are presented giving evidence for the presence of a mixed singlet-triplet superconducting order parameter induced by the presence of a strong Rashba spin–orbit coupling term at the surface. These local signatures will be discussed along with ARPES and transport measurements in parallel high magnetic field on closely related systems. Finally, we present in anisotropic Pb and In monolayers the peculiar role played by atomic steps on vortex properties, leading to the observation by STS of mixed Abrikosov–Josephson vortices in agreement with in situ macroscopic transport measurements. From the overview of all recent experimental and theoretical results it appears that these surface 2D superconductors, such as one monolayer of Pb on Si(111), are ideal templates to engineer and realize topological superconductivity.

Adiabatic quantum-flux-parametron cell library designed using a 10 kA cm−2 niobium fabrication process

Abstract: Adiabatic quantum-flux-parametron (AQFP) logic is an energy-efficient superconductor logic with zero static power consumption and very small switching energy. In this paper, we report a new AQFP cell library designed using the AIST 10 kA cm−2 Nb high-speed standard process (HSTP), which is a high-critical-current–density version of the AIST 2.5 kA cm−2 Nb standard process (STP2). Since the intrinsic damping of the Josephson junction (JJ) of HSTP is relatively strong, shunt resistors for JJs were removed and the energy efficiency improved significantly. Also, excitation transformers in the new cells were redesigned so that the cells can operate in a four-phase excitation mode. We described the detail of HSTP and the AQFP cell library designed using HSTP, and showed experimental results of cell test circuits.

Conductors for commercial MRI magnets beyond NbTi: requirements and challenges

Abstract: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a powerful medical diagnostic tool, is the largest commercial application of superconductivity. The superconducting magnet is the largest and most expensive component of an MRI system. The magnet configuration is determined by competing requirements including optimized functional performance, patient comfort, ease of siting in a hospital environment, minimum acquisition and lifecycle cost including service. In this paper, we analyze conductor requirements for commercial MRI magnets beyond traditional NbTi conductors, while avoiding links to a particular magnet configuration or design decisions. Potential conductor candidates include MgB2, ReBCO and BSCCO options. The analysis shows that no MRI-ready non-NbTi conductor is commercially available at the moment. For some conductors, MRI specifications will be difficult to achieve in principle. For others, cost is a key barrier. In some cases, the prospects for developing an MRI-ready conductor are more favorable, but significant developments are still needed. The key needs include the development of, or significant improvements in: (a) conductors specifically designed for MRI applications, with form-fit-and-function readily integratable into the present MRI magnet technology with minimum modifications. Preferably, similar conductors should be available from multiple vendors; (b) conductors with improved quench characteristics, i.e. the ability to carry significant current without damage while in the resistive state; (c) insulation which is compatible with manufacturing and refrigeration technologies; (d) dramatic increases in production and long-length quality control, including large-volume conductor manufacturing technology. In-situ MgB2 is, perhaps, the closest to meeting commercial and technical requirements to become suitable for commercial MRI. Conductor technology is an important, but not the only, issue in introduction of HTS / MgB2 conductor into commercial MRI magnets. These new conductors, even when they meet the above requirements, will likely require numerous modifications and developments in the associated magnet technology.

Dynamic resistance of a high-T c coated conductor wire in a perpendicular magnetic field at 77 K

Abstract: Superconducting high-T c coated conductor (CC) wires comprise a ceramic thin film with a large aspect ratio. This geometry can lead to significant dissipative losses when exposed to an alternating magnetic field. Here we report experimental measurements of the 'dynamic resistance' of commercially available SuperPower and Fujikura CC wires in an AC perpendicular field. The onset of dynamic resistance occurs at a threshold field amplitude, which is determined by the total DC transport current and the penetration field of the conductor. We show that the field-dependence of the normalised magnetisation loss provides an unambiguous value for this threshold field at zero transport current. From this insight we then obtain an expression for the dynamic resistance in perpendicular field. This approach implies a linear relationship between dynamic resistance and applied field amplitude, and also between threshold field and transport current and this is consistent with our experimental data. The analytical expression obtained yields values that closely agree with measurements obtained across a wide range of frequencies and transport currents, and for multiple CC wires produced by different wire manufacturers and with significantly differing dimensions and critical currents. We further show that at high transport currents, the measured DC resistance includes an additional nonlinear term which is due to flux-flow resistance incurred by the DC transport current. This occurs once the field-dependent critical current of the wire falls below the DC transport current for part of each field cycle. Our results provide an effective and simple approach to calculating the dynamic resistance of a CC wire, at current and field magnitudes consistent with those expected in superconducting machines.

Materials design for artificial pinning centres in superconductor PLD coated conductors

Abstract: This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Doctoral training account (grant number EP/N509620/1), EUROTAPES, a collaborative project funded by the European Commission's Seventh Framework Program under Grant Agreement No. 280432, and also partially funded by SuNAM Co., Ltd, and Applied Materials, Inc.

Contact resistance between two REBCO tapes under load and load cycles

Abstract: No-insulation (NI) REBCO magnets have many advantages. They are self-protecting, and therefore do not need quench detection and protection, which can be very challenging to implement in a high T c superconducting magnet. Moreover, by removing the insulation and allowing thinner copper stabilizers, NI REBCO magnets have significantly higher engineering current density and higher mechanical strength. On the other hand, NI REBCO magnets have the drawbacks of long magnet charging time and high field ramp loss. In principle, these drawbacks can be mitigated by managing the turn-to-turn contact resistivity (R c). Evidently, the first step toward managing R c is to establish a reliable method of accurate R c measurement. In this paper, we present experimental R c measurements for REBCO tapes as a function of mechanical load up to 144 MPa and load cycles up to 14. We find that R c is in the range of 26–100 μΩcm2, and that it decreases with increasing pressure, and gradually increases with the number of load cycles. The results are discussed in the framework of Holm's electric contact theory.

Aluminium-oxide wires for superconducting high kinetic inductance circuits

Abstract: We investigate thin films of conducting aluminium-oxide, also known as granular aluminium, as a material for superconducting high quality, high kinetic inductance circuits. The films are deposited by an optimised reactive DC magnetron sputter process and characterised using microwave measurement techniques at milli-Kelvin temperatures. We show that, by precise control of the reactive sputter conditions, a high room temperature sheet resistance and therefore high kinetic inductance at low temperatures can be obtained. For a coplanar waveguide resonator with 1.5 kΩ sheet resistance and a kinetic inductance fraction close to unity, we measure a quality factor in the order of 700 000 at 20 mK. Furthermore, we observe a sheet resistance reduction by gentle heat treatment in air. This behaviour is exploited to study the kinetic inductance change using the microwave response of a coplanar wave guide resonator. We find the correlation between the kinetic inductance and the sheet resistance to be in good agreement with theoretical expectations.

High-T-c SQUID biomagnetometers

Abstract: In this paper, we review the preparation technology, integration in measurement systems and tests of high-T-c superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) intended for biomagnetic applications. A focus is on developments specific to Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH, Chalmers University of Technology, MedTech West, and the University of Gothenburg, while placing these results in the perspective of those achieved elsewhere. Sensor fabrication, including the deposition and structuring of epitaxial oxide heterostructures, materials for substrates, epitaxial bilayer buffers, bicrystal and step-edge Josephson junctions, and multilayer flux transformers are detailed. The properties of the epitaxial multilayer high-T-c direct current SQUID sensors, including their integration in measurement systems with special electronics and liquid nitrogen cryostats, are presented in the context of biomagnetic recording. Applications that include magnetic nanoparticle based molecular diagnostics, magnetocardiography, and magnetoencephalography are presented as showcases of high-T-c biomagnetic systems. We conclude by outlining future challenges.

Fabrication, microstructure and persistent current measurement of an intermediate grown superconducting (iGS) joint between REBCO-coated conductors

Abstract: A superconducting joint technology used for high-temperature superconductors (HTS) is the key for enabling persistent operation of HTS magnets. In the present work, we have succeeded in developing a superconducting joint between REBCO-coated conductors (CCs) using a joint strap with a microcrystalline GdBCO precursor intermediate layer. Heat treatment and oxygen annealing, with a total processing time of less than 1 d, grows a biaxially-textured intermediate layer to connect the GdBCO layers in the CCs. Microstructure observation of a part of the joint cross-section with SEM and TEM showed that the intermediate layer and the GdBCO layers in the conductors were atomically connected. An electron backscatter diffraction result showed that both the c- and a-axis misorientations among the GdBCO layers of the joined conductor and the GdBCO layer of the joint strap were about less than 5°. This intermediate grown superconducting joint gives a critical current of >100 A at 77 K in a self-field. A critical current of a joint at 4.2 K in a self-field is seven times higher than that at 77 K. The persistent field decay of a small double pancake coil, terminated with this joint, showed a joint resistance in the range of <3 × 10−12 Ω to <5 × 10−13 Ω at 77 K in a self-field over three days, with an operating current of ~10 A (~14% of the calculated coil critical current). The results show a promising prospect of the joint to be used for persistent magnets such as NMR and MRI.

Investigation of AC losses in horizontally parallel HTS tapes

Abstract: This chapter presents an AC loss study of horizontally parallel HTS tapes. Using the geometry of horizontally parallel HTS tapes is a proper way to prevent high AC losses, due to the reduction of the perpendicular component of the magnetic field experienced by the tapes.

Multilayer coating for higher accelerating fields in superconducting radio-frequency cavities: a review of theoretical aspects

Abstract: The theory of the superconductor–insulator–superconductor (SIS) multilayer structure for application in superconducting accelerating cavities is reviewed. The theoretical field limit, optimum layer thicknesses and material combination, and surface resistance are discussed for the SIS structure and are also reviewed for the superconductor–superconductor bilayer structure.

Characterisation of amorphous molybdenum silicide (MoSi) superconducting thin films and nanowires

Abstract: We report on the optimisation of amorphous molybdenum silicide thin film growth for superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD/SSPD) applications Molybdenum silicide was deposited via co-sputtering from Mo and Si targets in an Ar atmosphere The superconducting transition temperature (Tc) and sheet resistance (Rs) were measured as a function of thickness and compared to several theoretical models for disordered superconducting films Superconducting and optical properties of amorphous materials are very sensitive to short- (up to 1 nm) and medium-range order (~1-3 nm) in the atomic structure Fluctuation electron microscopy (FEM) studies showed that the films assumed an A15-like medium-range order Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) indicates that the film stoichiometry was close to Mo83Si17, which is consistent with reports that many other A15 structures with the nominal formula A3B show a significant non-stoichiometry with A:B > 3:1 Optical properties from ultraviolet (270 nm) to infrared (2200 nm) wavelengths were measured via spectroscopic ellipsometry for 5 nm thick MoSi films indicating high long wavelength absorption We also measured the current density as a function of temperature for nanowires patterned from a 10 nm thick MoSi film The current density at 36 K is 36 x 105A/cm2 for the widest wire studied (2003 nm), falling to 2 x 105A/cm2 for the narrowest (173 nm) This investigation confirms the excellent suitability of MoSi for SNSPD applications and gives fresh insight into the properties of the underlying materials

Towards Liquid-Helium-Free, Persistent-Mode MgB2 MRI Magnets: FBML Experience.

Abstract: In this article I present our experience at the Magnet Technology Division of the MIT Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory on liquid-helium (LHe)-free, persistent-mode MgB2 MRI magnets. Before reporting on our MgB2 magnets, I first summarize the basic work that we began in the late 1990s to develop LHe-free, high-temperature superconductor (HTS) magnets cooled in solid cryogen—I begin by discussing the enabling feature, particularly of solid nitrogen (SN2), for adiabatic HTS magnets. The next topic is our first LHe-free, SN2–HTS magnet, for which we chose Bi2223 because in the late 1990s Bi2223 was the only HTS available to build an HTS magnet. I then move on to two MgB2 magnets, I and II, developed after discovery of MgB2 in 2000. The SN2–MgB2 Magnet II—0.5 T/240 mm, SN2-cooled, and operated in persistent mode—was completed in January 2016. The final major topic in this article is a tabletop LHe-free, persistent-mode 1.5 T/70 mm SN2–MgB2 'finger' MRI magnet for osteoporosis screening—we expect to begin this project in 2017. Before concluding this article, I present my current view on challenges and prospects for MgB2 MRI magnets.

Theoretical estimates of maximum fields in superconducting resonant radio frequency cavities: Stability theory, disorder, and laminates

Abstract: Theoretical limits to the performance of superconductors in high magnetic fields parallel to their surfaces are of key relevance to current and future accelerating cavities, especially those made of new higher-Tc materials such as Nb$_3$Sn, NbN, and MgB$_2$. Indeed, beyond the so-called superheating field $H_{\mathcal{sh}}$, flux will spontaneously penetrate even a perfect superconducting surface and ruin the performance. We present intuitive arguments and simple estimates for $H_{\mathcal{sh}}$, and combine them with our previous rigorous calculations, which we summarize. We briefly discuss experimental measurements of the superheating field, comparing to our estimates. We explore the effects of materials anisotropy and the danger of disorder in nucleating vortex entry. Will we need to control surface orientation in the layered compound MgB$_2$? Can we estimate theoretically whether dirt and defects make these new materials fundamentally more challenging to optimize than niobium? Finally, we discuss and analyze recent proposals to use thin superconducting layers or laminates to enhance the performance of superconducting cavities. Flux entering a laminate can lead to so-called pancake vortices; we consider the physics of the dislocation motion and potential re-annihilation or stabilization of these vortices after their entry.

Conceptual designs of conduction cooled MgB2 magnets for 1.5 and 3.0 T full body MRI systems

Abstract: Conceptual designs of 1.5 and 3.0 T full-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) magnets using conduction cooled MgB2 superconductor are presented. The sizes, locations, and number of turns in the eight coil bundles are determined using optimization methods that minimize the amount of superconducting wire and produce magnetic fields with an inhomogeneity of less than 10 ppm over a 45 cm diameter spherical volume. MgB2 superconducting wire is assessed in terms of the transport, thermal, and mechanical properties for these magnet designs. Careful calculations of the normal zone propagation velocity and minimum quench energies provide support for the necessity of active quench protection instead of passive protection for medium temperature superconductors such as MgB2. A new 'active' protection scheme for medium Tc based MRI magnets is presented and simulations demonstrate that the magnet can be protected. Recent progress on persistent joints for multifilamentary MgB2 wire is presented. Finite difference calculations of the quench propagation and temperature rise during a quench conclude that active intervention is needed to reduce the temperature rise in the coil bundles and prevent damage to the superconductor. Comprehensive multiphysics and multiscale analytical and finite element analysis of the mechanical stress and strain in the MgB2 wire and epoxy for these designs are presented for the first time. From mechanical and thermal analysis of our designs we conclude there would be no damage to such a magnet during the manufacturing or operating stages, and that the magnet would survive various quench scenarios. This comprehensive set of magnet design considerations and analyses demonstrate the overall viability of 1.5 and 3.0 T MgB2 magnet designs.

Design, construction and 13 K conduction-cooled operation of a 3 T 100 mm stainless steel cladding all-REBCO magnet

Abstract: A conduction-cooled 3 T 100 mm winding bore multi-width and no-insulation (NI) all-REBCO magnet was designed, constructed and tested at 13 K. The magnet consists of a stack of double pancake (DP) coils wound with, for the first time, REBCO tapes having a 1 μm thick layer of stainless steel, named 'metallic cladding', that surrounds the tapes in a hermetic way to substantially reduce the NI charging delay. After construction, the magnet was cooled down to the target operating temperature of 13 K using a two-stage pulse-tube cryo-cooler. During charging–discharging tests up to 200 A, magnetic center field, voltage of each DP coil, power supply current, and magnet temperature were monitored. The charging time constant of the magnet was measured to be about 10.1 s, 13 times smaller than that of its NI counterpart. The magnet experienced, due to an unexpected power supply trip, a sudden discharge at a peak coil current density of 353 A mm2, yet it survived without any degradation. The results demonstrated strong potential of the metallic cladding NI-REBCO magnet for significant charging-delay reduction and self-protecting operation.

Design considerations and experimental results for MRI systems using HTS magnets

Abstract: An increasing number of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems using high temperature superconductors (HTS) magnets have been designed and constructed, with detailed results of their performance now available. Features of REBCO and BSCCO conductors are described as they pertain to use in high homogeneity magnets, with emphasis placed on the practical use of these conductors in magnets. Methods of coil winding are discussed, in particular the differences between pancake and layer winding techniques. Design considerations for HTS magnets are presented in light of the difficulties presented by quench in these magnets, but also in terms of the features of HTS magnets afforded by their high operating temperatures, namely robust cryogen free operation and the potential to use unshielded gradient coils. Drawing on two example MRI systems, namely a 3 T BSCCO brain imaging magnet developed in Japan and a 1.5 T REBCO orthopaedic imaging system developed in New Zealand, the report details real-world stability and homogeneity of HTS-MRI systems, in particular with regards to the screening current effects observed in these systems. It is concluded that, apart from conductor cost, there are currently no technical obstacles to use of HTS-MRI systems.

A nanocryotron comparator can connect single-flux-quantum circuits to conventional electronics

Abstract: Integration with conventional electronics offers a straightforward and economical approach to upgrading existing superconducting technologies, such as scaling up superconducting detectors into large arrays and combining single flux quantum (SFQ) digital circuits with semiconductor logic gates and memories However, direct output signals from superconducting devices (eg, Josephson junctions) are usually not compatible with the input requirements of conventional devices (eg, transistors) Here, we demonstrate the use of a single three-terminal superconducting-nanowire device, called the nanocryotron (nTron), as a digital comparator to combine SFQ circuits with mature semiconductor circuits such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits Since SFQ circuits can digitize output signals from general superconducting devices and CMOS circuits can interface existing CMOS-compatible electronics, our results demonstrate the feasibility of a general architecture that uses an nTron as an interface to realize a 'super-hybrid' system consisting of superconducting detectors, superconducting quantum electronics, CMOS logic gates and memories, and other conventional electronics

How resistive must grain boundaries in polycrystalline superconductors be, to limit J c?

Abstract: Although we can use misorientation angle to distinguish the grain boundaries that can carry high critical current density (J_c) in high temperature superconductors (HTS) from those that cannot, there is no established normal state property equivalent. In this paper, we explore the superconducting and normal state properties of the grains and grain boundaries of polycrystalline YBa2Cu3O7–x (YBCO) using complementary magnetisation and transport measurements, and calculate how resistive grain boundaries must be to limit J_c in polycrystalline superconductors. The average resistivity of the grain boundaries, ρ_GB, in our micro and nanocrystalline YBCO are 0.12 Ωm and 8.2 Ωm, values which are much higher than that of the grains (ρ_G) and leads to huge ρ_GB/ρ_G values of 2 × 103 and 1.6 × 105 respectively. We find that the grain boundaries in our polycrystalline YBCO are sufficiently resistive that we can expect the transport J_c to be several tens of orders of magnitude below the potential current density of the grains in our YBCO samples, as is found experimentally. Calculations presented show that increasing J_c values by ~ 2 orders of magnitude in high fields is still possible in all state-of-the-art technological high-field superconductors. We conclude: grain boundary engineering is unlikely to improve J_c sufficiently in randomly aligned polycrystalline YBCO, to make it technologically useful for high-field applications; in low temperature superconducting intermetallics, such as Nb3Sn, large increases in J_c may be achieved by completely removing the grain boundaries from these materials and, as is the case for thin films of Nb, Ba(FeCo)2As2 and HTS materials, by incorporating additional artificial pinning.