Development and Analysis of Link-and-Joint-Based, RSFQ Logic Systems
Abstract
Major Goals: This is final report for Army Award: W911NF-20-C- 0032. Our focus is to develop RSFQ circuit technology into a low-energy, computer-oriented technology that can eventually be commercialized. RSFQ is a technology based on niobium-based, Josephson junctions (JJs). RSFQ circuits can operate at very high speeds (even above 100 GHz). To operate RSFQ circuits requires significant cooling because RSFQ circuits operate at 4K. Confusion around whether or when we should deliver our final report resulted from several issues. As of late May, 2022, we had not received notification that our third year of contract support would be forthcoming; this, of course, put a tremendous strain on our ability to retain our workers as we were asking them to commit to work on our project without being able to tell them that we had funding for our third year. In early June, 2022, we asked whether funding had materialized; it had not. So, we informed our Army COR of our decision to stop work until the situation could be normalized; such a normalization did not occur, and we were informed in March, 2023, that our final report was due. This contract examined the application of self- timing to superconducting circuits. Self-timing is important to superconducting circuits because light travels at only about 100 microns per picosecond. 100 microns is about the width of four human hairs side by side and a picosecond is about the switching time for superconducting logic gates. Early in our work we decided to focus on the RSFQ family of circuits for their simplicity in spite of their slightly larger energy consumption. We believe that additional energy saving available from ERSFQ circuits is practical future item to pursue.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 30, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1210924
Entities
People
- Ivan E. Sutherland
- Warren A. Jr Hunt