US5101243A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Superconducting device structures employing anisotropy of the material energy gap
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
•
Filing: 1990-05-21
•
Granted: 1992-03-31
•
Expires: 2010-05-21
Abstract
Abstract A high T c oxide superconductive switching device [10] formed on a substantially planar substrate [18] includes a base electrode [12] comprised of a layer or film of anisotropic superconducting material. The layer has a first crystalline axis [c] along which a magnitude of an energy gap of the material is less than an energy gap of the material along other crystalline axes. The superconductive switching device further includes at least one injector electrode [14] forming a planar [16] or an edge tunneling junction with the base electrode for injecting, under the influence of a bias potential eV, quasiparticles into the base electrode. The first crystalline axis is aligned in a predetermined manner with the tunneling junction for optimizing a quasiparticle injection efficiency of the tunneling junction.
Inventors
- 👤 Cheng-Chung J. Chi
- 👤 Alan W. Kleinsasser
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 17:51
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10N; H10N60/00; H10N60/20; H10N60/205; H10N60/207; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S505/00; Y10S505/70; Y10S505/701; Y10S505/702; Y10S505/825; Y10S505/831; Y10S505/832; Y10S505/873; Y10S505/874
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
106 words
A superconductive switching device formed on a substrate comprising: first electrode means comprised of a layer of anisotropic superconducting material having a first axis along which a magnitude of an energy gap of the material is less than an energy gap of the material along other axis of the material; and at least one injector electrode means forming a tunneling junction with said first electrode means for injecting, under the influence of a bias potential eV, quasiparticles into said first electrode means, wherein the first axis is aligned in a predetermined manner with the tunneling junction for optimizing a quasiparticle injection efficiency of the tunneling junction.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
106 words
A superconductive switching device formed on a substrate comprising: first electrode means comprised of a layer of anisotropic superconducting material having a first axis along which a magnitude of an energy gap of the material is less than an energy gap of the material along other axis of the material; and at least one injector electrode means forming a tunneling junction with said first electrode means for injecting, under the influence of a bias potential eV, quasiparticles into said first electrode means, wherein the first axis is aligned in a predetermined manner with the tunneling junction for optimizing a quasiparticle injection efficiency of the tunneling junction.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the tunneling junction is a planar junction.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the tunneling junction is an edge junction.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 1 and including a second injector electrode means forming a second tunneling junction with the first electrode means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 4 wherein both of the tunneling junctions are edge junctions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 4 wherein one of the tunneling junctions is an edge junction and wherein the other one of the tunneling junctions is a planar junction.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said at least one injector electrode means forms a tunneling junction with said first electrode means at a portion of said first electrode means having a reduced width relative to other portions of said first electrode means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 7 wherein the tunneling junction is a planar junction and wherein the first axis is aligned parallel to a long axis of the portion having a reduced width.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 7 wherein said tunneling junction has an area substantially equal to an entire area associated with the portion of reduced width.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 7 wherein the tunneling junction is a planar junction and wherein the first axis is aligned perpendicular to a plane of the substrate.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
49 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 7 wherein said at least one injector electrode means forms two edge tunneling junctions with said first electrode means at a portion of said first electrode means having a reduced width relative to other portions of said first electrode means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
46 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least the first electrode means is comprised of a layer of an anisotropic high transition temperature superconductor in which a basal plane of the layer is aligned normal to a plane of the substrate.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
46 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least the first electrode means is comprised of a layer of an anisotropic high transition temperature superconductor in which a basal plane of the layer is aligned parallel to a plane of the substrate.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
99 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 1 wherein a basal plane of the first electrode means is referred to as an a-b plane, wherein the subscripts a, b, and c are used to identify three mutually orthogonal crystalline axes, wherein the material has an energy gap Δ associated with each axis such that Δ a and Δ b are each greater than Δ c by a factor of order 2, and wherein a magnitude of eV is chosen so that Δ.sub.c +Δ.sub.i <eV<Δ.sub.a +Δ.sub.i, where Δ i is an energy gap of the injector electrode means.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
116 words
A superconductive switching device formed on a substrate comprising: first electrode means formed on the substrate and comprised of a layer of anisotropic superconducting material having a first crystalline axis along which a magnitude of an energy gap of the material is less than an energy gap of the material along other crystalline axes; and means, coupled to the first electrode means, for inducing the presence of quasiparticles within said first electrode means, wherein the first crystalline axis is orientated in a predetermined manner with a plane of the substrate for improving an efficiency of quasiparticle inducement within said first electrode means relative to other orientations of the first crystalline axis with respect to the substrate.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
116 words
A superconductive switching device formed on a substrate comprising: first electrode means formed on the substrate and comprised of a layer of anisotropic superconducting material having a first crystalline axis along which a magnitude of an energy gap of the material is less than an energy gap of the material along other crystalline axes; and means, coupled to the first electrode means, for inducing the presence of quasiparticles within said first electrode means, wherein the first crystalline axis is orientated in a predetermined manner with a plane of the substrate for improving an efficiency of quasiparticle inducement within said first electrode means relative to other orientations of the first crystalline axis with respect to the substrate.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
52 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 15 wherein the inducing means is comprised of at least one injector electrode means forming a planar or an edge tunneling junction with said first electrode means for injecting, under the influence of a bias potential eV, quasiparticles into said first electrode means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
105 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 15 wherein the inducing means is comprised of incident electromagnetic radiation, wherein quasiparticles with momenta in the direction of the first crystalline axis are produced for radiation having energy such that 2Δ c <hω<2Δ a , where h is Plank's constant, where ω is the wavelength of the incident radiation, wherein Δ c is the energy gap of the anisotropic superconducting material along the first crystalline axis, and wherein Δ a is the energy gap of the anisotropic superconducting material along a second crystalline axis that is orthogonally disposed with respect to the first crystalline axis.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
20 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 15 wherein the inducing means is comprised of a magnetic field.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
42 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 15 wherein the substrate is comprised of a material similar in composition to the anisotropic superconducting material for significantly reducing a detrimental effect of phonon trapping on a switching speed of the device.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
42 words
A superconductive switching device as set forth in claim 19 wherein the substrate is comprised of an oxygen-deficient form of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 and wherein the anisotropic superconducting material is comprised of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 .
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
115 words
An electrical device formed on a substrate and comprising: first electrode means formed on the substrate and comprised of a layer of anisotropic material having a first crystalline axis along which a magnitude of an energy gap of the material is less than an energy gap of the material along other crystalline axes; and means, coupled to the first electrode means, for inducing the presence of quasiparticles within said first electrode means, wherein the first crystalline axis is orientated in a predetermined manner with a plane of the substrate for improving an efficiency of quasiparticle inducement within said first electrode means relative to other orientations of the first crystalline axis with respect to the substrate.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
115 words
An electrical device formed on a substrate and comprising: first electrode means formed on the substrate and comprised of a layer of anisotropic material having a first crystalline axis along which a magnitude of an energy gap of the material is less than an energy gap of the material along other crystalline axes; and means, coupled to the first electrode means, for inducing the presence of quasiparticles within said first electrode means, wherein the first crystalline axis is orientated in a predetermined manner with a plane of the substrate for improving an efficiency of quasiparticle inducement within said first electrode means relative to other orientations of the first crystalline axis with respect to the substrate.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
50 words
An electrical device as set forth in claim 21 wherein the inducing means is comprised of at least one injector electrode means forming a planar or an edge tunneling junction with said first electrode means for injecting, under the influence of a bias potential, quasiparticles into said first electrode means.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
41 words
An electrical device as set forth in claim 21 wherein the first electrode means is comprised of a layer of an anisotropic superconducting material in which a basal plane of the layer is aligned normal to a plane of the substrate.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
41 words
An electrical device as set forth in claim 21 wherein the first electrode means is comprised of a layer of an anisotropic superconducting material in which a basal plane of the layer is aligned parallel to a plane of the substrate.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4831421A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-03-31 | 1995-09-30 | 1996-03-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-03-31 | 1999-09-30 | 2000-03-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-03-31 | 2003-09-30 | 2004-03-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |