University of Technology Ilmenau, Germany

Presentation

The general research aim at the Advanced Electromagnetics Group at the Technische Universität Ilmenau / Germany consists in making promising physical phenomena engineerable. Superconducting sensors containing Josephson junctions as well as superconducting digital electronic circuits have been in the focus of research since 1981 and 1992, respectively. As part of the FLUXONICS Foundry, activities are centered around the development of high temperature and (preferably) low-temperature superconducting microelectronic circuits, leading to designs of circuits for sensor applications (control and read-out) which have been fabricated at our FLUXONICS partners’ sites. Besides modeling, simulation, and design, capabilities include experimental testing and characterization at low temperatures.

Following the similarity of signaling in single-flux quantum circuits and in biological systems, recent work addresses the combination of neuromorphic architectures with superconducting components in information-processing units.

For dissemination of FLUXONICS results as well as for expert training, our group hosts the biannual workshop for design of Superconductive Digital Electronics.

Publications

[1] F. Feldhoff and H. Toepfer, “Short- and Long-Term State Switching in the Superconducting Niobium Neuron Plasticity,” in IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 1-5, May 2024, Art no. 1300105, doi: 10.1109/TASC.2024.3355876

[2] F. Feldhoff, G. Gläser and H. Toepfer, “Spotting the gap in the design flow for superconducting electronic devices,” 2022 18th International Conference on Synthesis, Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Methods and Applications to Circuit Design (SMACD), Villasimius, Italy, 2022, pp. 1-4, doi: 10.1109/SMACD55068.2022.9816318.

[3] F. Feldhoff and H. Toepfer, “Niobium Neuron: RSFQ Based Bio-Inspired Circuit,” in IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, vol. 31, no. 5, pp. 1-5, Aug. 2021, Art no. 1800505, doi: 10.1109/TASC.2021.3063212

Schematic illustration of representing neuronal structures by circuit elements of superconductive single-flux electronics (1), (3).

Superconducting microelectronic circuits and sensors can be tested and characterized on-site by immersion cooling (liquid Helium)