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U.S. Department of Energy
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Superconducting niobium thin-film gradiometer technology program. Final report 4 Jan 82-17 Jan 83

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5692164

Dc SQUIDs with 2.5 micron square niobium-aluminum oxide-niobium tunnel junctions and titanium resistive shunts have been fabricated. The SQUID inductance was 0.9 nH, and the shunt resistors were approximately 10 ohms. With the SQUIDs operated in a small-signal amplifier mode the minimum white noise of the SQUIDs was measured. Low frequency noise was measured form 0.005 to 2 Hz with the SQUIDs operated in a closed-looped negative-feedback mode. A straight line with a slope of -20 db/decade (1/f frequency dependence) fits the data below 0.5 Hz. This line intersects a horizontal line through the white noise at about 1.6 Hz. A design was completed of a thin-film gradiometer with one-inch square pickup loops, a baseline of 1.1 inches, and a 50-turn input coil, which will fit on a 3-inch diameter silicon wafer. The sensitivity of this gradiometer was predicted. Fabrication of this completely integrated thin-film gradiometer made only of refractory metals should provide an excellent means of predicting the achievable sensitivity and balance of an airborne magnetic gradiometer.

Research Organization:
Texas Instruments, Inc., Dallas (USA)
OSTI ID:
5692164
Report Number(s):
AD-A-126133/8
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English