US4608296A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Superconducting films and devices exhibiting AC to DC conversion
Assignee: Ovonic Synthetic Materials Co Inc
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Filing: 1983-12-06
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Granted: 1986-08-26
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Expires: 2003-12-06
Abstract
Abstract Superconducting films and devices are provided which exhibit an AC to DC conversion effect of an RF AC input signal. The films can be microscopically inhomogeneous with granular or columnar microstructures in layered or nonlayered structures, which provide the conversion effect with and without an applied magnetic field. The films also can be multilayer films which provide the conversion effect with a magnetic field applied to the films. The multilayer films are substantially compositionally homogeneous within the layers and the microscopically inhomogeneous films are substantially compositionally homogeneous throughout, but include structural inhomogeneities.
Inventors
- 👤 John E. Keem
- 👤 Stanford R. Ovshinsky
- 👤 Hossein Sadate-Akhavi
- 👤 Juei-Teng Chen
- 👤 Alan M. Kadin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 16:58
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10N; H10N60/00; H10N60/80; H10N60/85; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/922; Y10S428/9265; Y10S428/93; Y10S505/00; Y10S505/80; Y10S505/812; Y10S505/813; Y10S505/825; Y10S505/856; Y10S505/857; Y10S505/865; Y10S505/873; Y10S505/874; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24942; Y10T428/2495; Y10T428/24967; Y10T428/24975; Y10T428/26; Y10T428/268; Y10T428/31504; Y10T428/31678
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
122 words
A superconducting film comprising: a non-equilibrium structure providing local variations in superconducting transition temperature, said structure formed from at least two components, at least one of said components being a metallic material and at least one of said components being a non-metallic material, said structure including a plurality of regions exhibiting characteristic lengths in at least two directions through the structure of less than 500 Angstroms to provide AC to DC conversion of an RF AC signal imposed on the structure in the absence of a magnetic field applied thereto, said structure having an oxygen content throughout the structure of less than ten percent, said structure includes a microscopically inhomogeneous microstructure providing said characteristic length and said microstructure being a columnar microstructure.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
122 words
A superconducting film comprising: a non-equilibrium structure providing local variations in superconducting transition temperature, said structure formed from at least two components, at least one of said components being a metallic material and at least one of said components being a non-metallic material, said structure including a plurality of regions exhibiting characteristic lengths in at least two directions through the structure of less than 500 Angstroms to provide AC to DC conversion of an RF AC signal imposed on the structure in the absence of a magnetic field applied thereto, said structure having an oxygen content throughout the structure of less than ten percent, said structure includes a microscopically inhomogeneous microstructure providing said characteristic length and said microstructure being a columnar microstructure.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The film defined in claim 1 wherein: said inhomogeneous microstructure range in size from 10 to 1000 Å to provide said characteristic lengths.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
The film defined in claim 1 wherein: said structure is substantially compositionally homogeneous.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The film defined in claim 1 wherein: said structure has an RF to DC conversion factor greater than 10 6 .
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
The film defined in claim 1 wherein: said structure is formed from at least one element of the metallic group consisting of Mo, Nb, V, W and Zr and at least one element of the nonmetallic group consisting of B, C, Ge, N, P and Si.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The film defined in claim 1 wherein: said characteristic lengths are less than 100 Angstroms.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
The film defined in claim 1 wherein: said structure is formed from molybdenum and at least one nonmetallic element.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
The film defined in claim 7 wherein: said structure is about 63 percent molybdenum and 37 percent carbon.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
114 words
A superconducting film comprising: a non-equilibrium structure providing local variations in superconducting transition temperature, said structure formed from at least two components, at least one of said components being a metallic material and at least one of said components being a non-metallic material, said structure including a plurality of regions exhibiting characteristic lengths in only one direction through the structure of less than 500 Angstroms to provide AC to DC conversion of an RF AC signal imposed on the structure in the presence of a magnetic field applied thereto, said structure having an oxygen content throughout the structure of less than ten percent, and said structure being multilayer composite film providing said characteristic length.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
114 words
A superconducting film comprising: a non-equilibrium structure providing local variations in superconducting transition temperature, said structure formed from at least two components, at least one of said components being a metallic material and at least one of said components being a non-metallic material, said structure including a plurality of regions exhibiting characteristic lengths in only one direction through the structure of less than 500 Angstroms to provide AC to DC conversion of an RF AC signal imposed on the structure in the presence of a magnetic field applied thereto, said structure having an oxygen content throughout the structure of less than ten percent, and said structure being multilayer composite film providing said characteristic length.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
The film defined in claim 9 wherein: said multilayer film is formed of alternating layers of an insulating material and a metallic superconducting material.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
The film defined in claim 9 wherein: said multilayer film is substantially compositionally homogeneous in each of the layers in said multilayer film.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
The film defined in claim 9 wherein: said multilayer film is formed from alternating layer pairs formed of molybdenum and silicon.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
The film defined in claim 12 wherein: said film has about 80 layer pairs having a spacing of about 32 Å.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-08-25 | 1990-02-24 | 1990-08-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-08-25 | 1994-02-24 | 1994-08-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-08-25 | 1998-02-24 | 1998-08-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |