Abstract: A method of manufacturing a tape-formed oxide superconductor, in which a tape-formed wire material (6 in FIG. 1) is extended between a pair of reels (5a and 5b). Besides, a reactive gas is supplied form the gas supply ports of a reactive gas supply pipe (3a) vertically to the upper side film surface of the tape-formed wire material (6), so as to react the film body of this tape-formed wire material into a superconducting layer, while at the same time, a gas after the reaction is discharged from the gas discharge ports of discharge pipes (4a and 4b) for discharging the gas after the reaction. Likewise, the reactive gas is supplied vertically to the lower side film surface of the tape-formed wire material (6), so as to react the film body of this tape-formed wire material into a superconducting layer, while at the same time, the gas after the reaction is discharged from the gas discharge ports of discharge pipes (4c and 4d) for discharging the gas after the reaction.

Abstract: To obtain a superconducting driver circuit which can obtain an output voltage of several millvolts or above, can use a DC power source as a driving power source, can form no capacitance between it and a ground plane, and has a small occupation area, the superconducting driver circuit is constructed by superconducting flux quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) each constructing a closed loop having as components two superconducting junctions and an inductor. The SQUIDs share the inductors and are connected in series in three or more stages.

Abstract: At least two ramp-edge-structure Josephson junctions having different critical current densities to one another are provided on a substrate.

Abstract: The invention relates to a technique for forming a thin film of good quality on a base substance via an intermediate layer. Such a film formation technique is suitably applicable to formation of an oxide high-temperature superconductor thin film usable for a superconducting wire material, a superconducting device or the like. In the method of forming a thin film on a base substance via an intermediate layer, an interface energy Ea at an interface A between the base substance and the intermediate layer, an interface energy Eb at an interface B between the intermediate layer and the thin film, and an interface energy Ec at an interface C between the base substance and the thin film in a state where the intermediate layer is omitted are calculated, and then a substance for the intermediate layer is selected so as to satisfy conditions of Ea<Ec and Eb<Ec.

Abstract: There is established a superconducting magnet made of a high-temperature bulk superconductor and capable of trapping a high magnetic field with ease and stably. The superconducting magnet made of the high-temperature bulk superconductor, for use by trapping a magnetic field, is made of the bulk superconductor provided with an artificial hole, a low melting metal impregnated into, and filling up at least the artificial hole, and a heat conducting metal material embedded with portions of the high-temperature bulk superconductor, impregnated with, and filled with the low melting metal. The superconducting magnet can be produced by a process comprising the steps of providing the artificial hole in the high-temperature bulk superconductor, disposing the heat conducting metal material in at least the artificial hole, applying a process of impregnating and filling up at least the artificial hole with the low melting metal, and subsequently, executing a process of magnetizing.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for joining an RE123 oxide superconductor matrix obtained by a melt process by the use of a solder material. The (110) plane of an RE123 oxide superconductor matrix obtained by a melt process is used as the plane to be joined, a solder material composed of an RE123 oxide superconductor having a lower melting point than the above-mentioned RE123 oxide superconductor is interposed between the planes to be joined, and this solder material is melted and then solidified to form a joining layer, thereby joining the matrices. The solder material can be a sinter, a melt-processed material, a powder, a slurry, or a molded powder.

Abstract: A Josephson junction having a barrier layer sandwiched by two superconductors wherein the superconductors include one or more elements selected from the group of Y, La, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu, one or more elements selected from the group of Ba, Sr and Ca, and Cu and oxygen, wherein the two superconductors each include at least five elements with compositions different from each other, or the barrier layer (5) includes one or more elements selected from the group of La, Nd, Sm and Eu, and one or more elements selected from the group of Y, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an MgB2-based superconductor that is easy to manufacture and well suited to mass production, and that exhibits excellent superconducting characteristics (such as a high critical current density) while still retaining the high critical temperature characteristics of MgB2. A powder mixture of magnesium, boron, and titanium is pressed into a pellet, and this product is sintered under an atmospheric pressure and other conditions (preferably at 600° C. or higher) to manufacture an MgB2-based superconductor in which titanium and/or a titanium compound are dispersed in polycrystalline MgB2. The composition of the MgB2-based superconductor is preferably adjusted to have an atomic ratio of Mg:B:Ti=x:2:y, 0.7<x<1.2 and 0.05<y<0.3, and more preferably 0.07<y<0.2, by adjusting the amounts in which the raw materials are added.

Abstract: A circuit includes a latch circuit including a Josephson junction and configured to perform a latch operation based on a hysteresis characteristic in response to a single flux quantum, a load circuit including load inductance and load resistance and coupled to an output of the latch circuit, and a reset circuit provided between the output of the latch circuit and the load circuit and configured to reset the latch circuit a predetermined time after the latch operation by the latch circuit, wherein the Josephson junction is driven by a direct current.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a Josephson device includes the steps of forming a first superconducting layer and forming a second superconducting layer to form a Josephson junction therebetween, wherein the step of forming the second superconducting layer includes the steps of conducting a first step of forming the second superconducting layer with improved uniformity and conducting a second step of forming the second superconducting layer on the second superconducting layer formed in the first step with improved film quality.

Abstract: In order to provide an inexpensive mechanical persistent current switch with a short operation time and a large capacity without causing energy loss, a mechanical persistent current switch comprises a bulk member which is made of RE-Ba—Cu—O superconductor (RE is a rare earth element), connector material, and the bulk member made of RE-Ba—Cu—O superconductor is made by a melt process in which resin is impregnated, and an current terminal and a voltage terminal pasted onto the bulk member.

Abstract: A superconducting power circuit comprises a bridge circuit, comprising superconducting switch elements having two or more Josephson junctions incorporated at each side of a rhombus-shaped bridge line, the superconducting switch elements being freely switchable by an outside magnetic field; and a control section which uses the outside magnetic field to switch one pair of the superconducting switch elements, arranged on opposite sides of the bridge circuit, to a superconductive state, and switch another pair of the superconducting switch elements to a normal-conductive state; the superconducting power circuit enables a large low-voltage dc current to be converted with high efficiency.

Abstract: A control device having control logics that respectively generate operated quantities by simutaneously parallel-processing observed quantities obtained from a controlled object. A switch selectively outputs one of the operated quantities to the controlled object based on instruction data.

Abstract: A crystal pulling apparatus is designed to generate a thermal gradient across the melt surface to prevent nucleation of stray crystals and production of floating debris to produce a high quality crystal, and has special provisions for observing the growth behavior and crystal dimension measurements. The apparatus includes a cylindrical chamber, a crucible disposed centrally within the chamber, a cylindrical heater surrounding the crucible, an insulation member disposed on the top section of the crucible, a first transparent plate and a second transparent plate for closing the center hole in the insulation member, a pull rod passing through the center hole of the transparent plates, a crystal illumination mechanism, a crystal size determination mechanism and an ambient atmosphere flowing mechanism.