SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUS FOR SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNETIC SHIELDING

• US 20090168286A1
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc. (D-Wave Quantum, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc. (D-Wave Quantum, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mahon, Thomas F.W., Berkley, Andrew J., Uchaykin, Sergey V.
• Granted Patent: US 7,990,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/141
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/0017 Means for compensating offset magnetic fields or the magnetic flux to be measured; Means for generating calibration magnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/0354 SQUIDS
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 10/00 Quantum computing, i.e. information processing based on quantum-mechanical phenomena
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 6/00 Superconducting magnets; Superconducting coils magnetic resonance assemblies using superconducting coil systems G01R33/3815
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0077 comprising superconductors

Abstract

A localized area is at least partially contained within a perimeter of a shield ring formed by a closed superconducting current path of a material that is superconductive below a critical temperature. The shield ring is at least partially within a perimeter of a compensation coil that is coupled to a current source. One or more measurement devices are responsive to magnetic fields in the vicinity of the localized area, allowing compensation by controlling current to the compensation coil. A heater can raise temperature of the shield ring out of a superconducting condition.

Claims

1. A magnetic shielding system comprising:

a first shield ring formed by a closed superconducting current path of a material that is superconductive below a critical temperature;

a current control system that includes at least one electrical current source;

a first compensation coil formed by a conductive current path that is conductively coupled to the current control system; and

a first measurement device positioned to measure magnetic fields in a vicinity of the first shield ring, the first measurement device communicatively coupled to the current control system.

2. The magnetic shielding system of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the first shield ring is within a perimeter of the first compensation coil.

3. The magnetic shielding system of claim 1 wherein the first measurement device is a magnetometer.

4. The magnetic shielding system of claim 1 wherein the first shield ring is selected from the group consisting of a loop of superconductive wire and a superconductive trace on a substrate.

5. The magnetic shielding system of claim 1 wherein the first compensation coil is selected from the group consisting of a loop of conductive wire and a conductive trace on a substrate.

6. The magnetic shielding system of claim 1, further comprising a superconducting processor chip wherein at least a portion of the superconducting processor chip is within a perimeter of the first shield ring.

7. The magnetic shielding system of claim 6 wherein the superconducting processor chip includes a superconducting quantum processor.

8. The magnetic shielding system of claim 6 wherein the first shield ring is formed by a superconductive trace on the superconducting processor chip.

9. The magnetic shielding system of claim 6 wherein the first compensation coil is formed by a conductive trace on the superconducting processor chip.

10. The magnetic shielding system of claim 1 wherein the first measurement device is at least partially within a perimeter of the first shield ring.

11. The magnetic shielding system of claim 1 wherein the first shield ring and the first compensation coil are positioned in a common plane.

12. The magnetic shielding system of claim 1, further comprising at least a second measurement device that is communicatively coupled to the current control system.

13. The magnetic shielding system of claim 12 wherein at least the first and the second measurement devices measure approximately perpendicularly to one another.

14. The magnetic shielding system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least a second shield ring formed by a closed superconducting current path of a material that is superconductive below a critical temperature; and

at least a second compensation coil formed by a conductive current path, wherein each compensation coil is conductively coupled to the current control system.

15. The magnetic shielding system of claim 14 wherein each of the shield rings is at least partially within a perimeter of a respective one of the compensation coils.

16. The magnetic shielding system of claim 14 wherein at least two shield rings are aligned approximately perpendicular to one another.

17. The magnetic shielding system of claim 1 wherein the current control system includes at least one signal amplifier.

18. The magnetic shielding system of claim 1 wherein the current control system includes at least one analog-to-digital converter.

19. The magnetic shielding system of claim 1, further comprising a controllable heater positioned sufficiently proximate the first shield ring that heat produced by the controllable heater causes the temperature of the first shield ring to exceed the critical temperature.

20. The magnetic shielding system of claim 19 wherein the controllable heater is conductively coupled to an electrical current source and the controllable heater is controlled by a magnitude of an electrical current.

21. A method of controlling magnetic fields in a localized environment, the method comprising:

at least partially forming a perimeter around the localized environment with at least one shield ring formed by a closed superconducting current path of a material that is superconductive below a critical temperature;

measuring at least one magnetic field in at least one direction in a vicinity of the localized environment;

controlling at least one current through at least one compensation coil to generate at least one compensatory magnetic field in the vicinity of the localized environment;

refining the at least one current until the at least one magnetic field in the vicinity of the localized environment reaches a desired level; and

trapping the at least one compensatory magnetic field with the at least one shield ring.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the localized environment contains a superconducting processor chip.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the superconducting processor chip includes a superconducting quantum processor.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein trapping the at least one compensatory magnetic field includes cooling the at least one shield ring to a temperature below a critical temperature of a material that forms the at least one shield ring.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

deactivating the at least one current once the at least one compensatory magnetic field has been trapped.