Abstract: A superconducting temperature controller that can sense the temperature of an area and also heat the enclosed area. A superconducting thin film resistor mounted on a substrate is disposed in an enclosed housing that forms a vacuum. Also disposed within the housing is a heat sink that keeps the temperature inside the housing below the transition temperature of the superconducting material that forms the thin film resistor. By applying a constant voltage to the thin film resistor, the temperature of the substrate and thin film resistor can be maintained at a predetermined level that is within the transition temperature region of the superconducting material being used.

Abstract: A broadband photon detector device that operates using a superconducting material is biased at the temperature where the material changes from a superconducting to a non-superconducting state. Photons that strike the material cause a temperature change and a measurable increase in resistivity of the material. Measuring the increase in resistivity allows the detection of the incident photons. This detector is very sensitive because superconducting leads are connected at one end to the superconducting material and at another end to a sensor that measures the changing resistivity, thereby limiting thermal conduction. Thermal conduction is further prevented in another embodiment in which a sensor is electrically and thermally isolated from the superconducting material. This sensor detects the change in resistivity of the superconducting material through detecting a change in an eddy current established in the superconducting material.

Abstract: The present invention provides an x-ray sensor that converts x-ray radiation into infrared radiation using a high mass number material. The infrared radiation that results from this conversion is then detected using a superconducting detector. The superconducting detector uses a superconducting material for each of a plurality of detector elements that are temperature biased at the superconducting-nonsuperconducting transition temperature. As infrared photons strike one of the detector elements, the temperature of the superconducting detector element increases, which causes an increase in the resistance of the detector element. Using the output of each detector element an image of the original x-ray radiation is obtained.

Abstract: A broadband photon detector device which operates using a superconducting material is biased at the temperature where the material changes from a superconducting to a non-superconducting state. Photons which strike said material cause a temperature rise and a measurable increase in resistivity of the material. Measuring the increase in resistivity allows the detection of the incident photons.

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.