Quantum-engineered superconductor metamaterial devices
AssigneeEnterprise Science Fund, LLC
InventorsNathan P. Myhrvold, Brian C. Holloway, Stuart A. Wolf, Rohit P. Prasankumar, Christoph Heil
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Abstract
According to various embodiments, a quantum-engineered superconductor metamaterial is formed with a plurality of structurally engineered superconductor nanophononic crystal nanostructures. Each superconductor nanophononic crystal nanostructure may be formed as a crystal of the superconductor material. Structural modifications are made to each superconductor nanophononic crystal nanostructure to alter a characteristic of a phonon mode of the superconducting material to enhance a superconducting parameter thereof.
Claims35
A single-photon detector, comprising:
- a nanowire of a superconductor metamaterial comprising a plurality of superconductor nanophononic crystal (SC-NPC) nanostructures of a superconductor material, wherein each SC-NPC nanostructure comprises a three-dimensional lattice of the superconductor material with a nanohole formed therein to increase electron-phonon coupling for a phonon mode of the superconductor material;
- a cooling system to cool the nanowire to an operating temperature that is less than a superconducting critical temperature (Tc) of the superconductor metamaterial;
- a bias circuit to bias the nanowire with a bias current that is:
- below a superconducting critical current (Jc) of the superconductor metamaterial, and
- above a local, reduced superconducting critical current exhibited by the superconductor metamaterial in a localized region of the nanowire in response to an incident photon, such that an incident photon forms a localized non-superconducting region in the nanowire;
- and
- a detection circuit connected to the nanowire, the detection circuit configured to receive bias current from the bias circuit in response to an incident photon forming a localized non-superconducting region in the nanowire.
A superconductor device, comprising:
- a superconductor metamaterial comprising a plurality of superconductor nanophononic crystal (SC-NPC) nanostructures of a superconductor material, wherein each SC-NPC nanostructure is formed as a rectangular cubic crystal with a nanohole formed therein,
- wherein dimensions of the rectangular cubic crystal and nanohole of each SC-NPC nanostructure are selected to modify a characteristic of at least one phonon mode of the superconductor material to alter at least one superconducting parameter of the superconductor metamaterial relative to a bulk form of the superconducting material.
A quantum-engineered superconductor metamaterial device, comprising:
- a superconductor metamaterial comprising a plurality of superconductor nanophononic crystal (SC-NPC) nanostructures of a superconductor material, wherein each SC-NPC nanostructure comprises:
- a crystal of the superconductor material, and
- a structural modification to the crystal that alters a characteristic of a phonon mode of the superconductor material to enhance a superconducting parameter thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.