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US 4,873,443 AGranted
Magnetic superconducting detector
AssigneeProgress Technology Corporation
InventorRichard T. Schneider
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A photon detector which uses a superconducting material to detect photons of a specific frequency. The superconducting material is kept in its superconducting state so that resistance in the material does not appear, but incident photons produce a detectable magnetic field within the superconducting material. Sensing this magnetic field in the superconducting in its superconducting state allows for the detection of photons.
Claims24
A photon detector comprising:
- a superconducting material;
- means for maintaining said superconducting material in a superconducting state;
- and
- means for sensing induced currents formed in said material when said photons strike said material.
1 more element
A method of detecting photons comprising the steps of:
- keeping a superconducting material in a superconducting state;
- orienting said material so that incident photons can strike said material to cause an induced current in said material;
- and
- sensing said induced current.
1 more element
A photon detector comprising:
- a housing;
- a superconducting material disposed in said housing;
- means for keeping said superconducting material in a superconducting state disposed in said housing;
- means for orienting said superconducting material so that photons fall on said material;
- and
- means for sensing the magnetic field component of photons which strike said material.
3 more elements
A photon detector chip comprising:
- a substrate;
- a superconducting material mounted on said substrate;
- means for sensing induced currents in said material, said sensing means attached to said material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.