Recent research on superconductors with high critical temperature has led to results that were not available when the original German edition was prepared but could be included in the present English edition. This concerns materials based on bismuth and thallium, as well as measurements of low microwave loss. The author would like to thank Mr. A. H. Armstrong for translating the book from German to English in a very dedicated and competent manner. Thanks are also due once again to Springer-Verlag for their generous support and cordial cooperation. Bad Salzdetfurth September 1989 Johann H. Rinken Preface to the German Edition The development of materials which lose their electrical resistance when cooled, even before reaching the boiling point of liquid nitrogen, has considerably in creased the interest in superconductor technology, and with it superconductor electronics. This development had not been foreseen when work on the present book started, just over a year ago. Nevertheless, recent results of research on materials with high critical temperature are included to the extent that they seem to be confirmed and to be of interest to superconductor electronics. The present book deals with the physical and technological foundations of superconductor electronics so far as they must be known in order to under stand the principal modes of operation of superconductor electronics components.

Superconducting Devices presents the theory, qualification, and fabrication of superconducting device elements and integrated circuitry. This book discusses the various uses of superconducting devices in many areas where their sensitivity, speed, or other characteristics stemming from the unique nature of superconductivity make them the device of choice. Organized into 10 chapters, this book begins with an overview of superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs), which is the main achievement of superconductor electronics. This text then examines the status of dc and rf SQUIDs. Other chapters consider the progress in the fabrication technology for high-quality junctions and it integration technology, which are developed mainly for digital applications. This book discusses as well the increasing need for compact submillimeter sources for use in such applications as satellite communications and receivers for astronomical observation. The final chapter deals with the thin film tunneling experiments. This book is a valuable resource for physicists, chemists, materials scientists, and electrical engineers.

The genesis of the NATO Advanced Study Institute (ASI) upon which this volume is based, occurred during the summer of 1986 when we came to the realization that there had been significant progress during the early 1980's in the field of superconducting electronics and in applications of this technology. Despite this progress, there was a perception among many engineers and scientists that, with the possible exception of a limited number of esoteric fundamental studies and applications (e.g., the Josephson voltage standard or the SQUID magnetometer), there was no significant future for electronic systems incorporating superconducting elements. One of the major reasons for this perception was the aversion to handling liquid helium or including a closed-cycle helium liquefier. In addition, many critics felt that IBM's cancellation of its superconducting computer project in 1983 was "proof" that superconductors could not possibly compete with semiconductors in high-speed signal processing. From our perspective, the need for liquid helium was outweighed by improved performance, i. e., higher speed, lower noise, greater sensitivity and much lower power dissipation. For many commercial, medical, scientific and military applications, these attributes can lead to either enhanced capability (e.g., compact real-time signal processing) or measurements that cannot be made using any other technology (e.g., SQUID magnetometry to detect neuromagnetic activity).

Aimed at first-year electrical engineering and physics courses at the graduate level, this book introduces theories useful for practical analysis, providing an understanding and the basis for a variety of applications.

With the commercialisation of superconducting particles and radiation detectors set to occur in the very near future, nuclear analytical instrumentation is taking a big step forward. These new detectors have a high degree of accuracy, stability and speed and are suitable for high-density multiplex integration in nuclear research laboratories and astrophysics. Furthermore, superconducting detectors can also be successfully applied to food safety, airport security systems, medical examinations, doping tests & forensic investigations. This book is the first to address a new generation of analytical tools based on new superconductor detectors demonstrating outstanding performance unsurpassed by any other conventional devices. Presenting the latest research and development in nanometer technologies and biochemistry this book: * Discusses the development of nuclear sensing techniques. * Provides guidance on the design and use of the next generation of detectors. * Describes cryogenic detectors for nuclear measurements and spectrometry. * Covers primary detectors, front-end readout electronics and digital signal processing. * Presents applications in nanotechnology and modern biochemistry including DNA sequencing, proteinomics, microorganisms. * Features examples of two applications in X-ray electron probe nanoanalysis and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This comprehensive treatment is the ideal reference for researchers, industrial engineers and graduate students involved in the development of high precision nuclear measurements, nuclear analytical instrumentation and advanced superconductor primary sensors. This book will also appeal to physicists, electrical and electronic engineers in the nuclear industry.

This work provides a review of recent advances in all aspects of superconducting electronics, both for the traditional (4 K) liquid helium based (LTS) materials and the more recent ceramic (HTS) materials that can operate at higher temperatures in the range of liquid nitrogen (77 K).

With the surprising discovery of superconductivity at temperatures above 100 K, this field was not only brought into the public eye, but also stimulated research in universities, scientific institutions and industry, thus continuing the fascinating development which began with the discovery of the Josephson effect in the sixties. Cryoelectronics has become a special branch of cryophysics and cryotechnics and today plays a prominent role whenever high resolution and precision measurements are required. Motivated by this development, seven years ago scientists working in cryoelectronics in the Federal Republic of Germany felt the necessity for regular meetings allowing a free exchange of ideas and results achieved. Seminars under the title of "Kryoelektronische Bauelemente" were held for the first time at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt in Braunschweig in 1982 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Walther MeiBner, a pioneer in superconductivity. Since then, meetings have been held every year at different venues in Germany. It is now felt that the status of this field necessitates a review of the results of the past, a description of the current state of the art, and a discussion of future perspectives. This book, entitled SUPERCONDUCTING QUANTUM ELECTRONICS is a collection of invited lectures and contributions which will inform the reader on the most interesting problems involving fundamentals, sensitive detectors and precision metrology being studied by different groups.