Easy access via a partial lateral opening system
View Patent ↗Refrigeration system comprising: a first cryogenic chamber defined by at least a first wall, the first cryogenic chamber being thermally connected to at least a first cold source; a second cryogenic chamber defined by at least a second wall which extends at least partially facing the first wall, the second chamber being contained inside the first chamber and thermally connected to at least a second cold source; wherein the refrigeration system comprises at least a first door made in the first wall substantially facing a second door made in the second wall, the first door and the second door being arranged in such a way that the opening of the first door allows the opening of the second door.
1 . A refrigeration system comprising:
a first cryogenic enclosure defined by at least one first wall, the first cryogenic enclosure being thermally connected to at least one first cold source;
a second cryogenic enclosure defined by at least one second wall which extends at least partially facing the first wall, the second enclosure being contained inside the first enclosure and thermally connected to at least one second cold source;
wherein the refrigeration system comprises at least one first door in the first wall substantially facing a second door in the second wall, the first door and the second door being arranged such that the opening of the first door allows the opening of the second door, i.e. gives access to the second door, and the first cryogenic enclosure is contained within a first outer enclosure, and the first outer enclosure is contained within a second outer enclosure.
2 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first door comprises a first frame on which a first panel is removably mounted, and wherein the second door comprises a second frame on which a second panel is removably mounted, wherein the first enclosure and/or the second enclosure is a cylinder, the directrix curve of which is polygonal, wherein the first panel comprises a flat surface that is in a vertical orientation.
3 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first panel defines a first side face of the first enclosure, the first panel being quadrangular in form and comprising a first width corresponding to a length of the segment of the directrix curve, and a first height which extends parallel to a generatrix of the cylinder.
4 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 1 , comprising a third door in the first wall and a fourth door in the second wall substantially facing the third door.
5 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the first door and the second door belong to a first lock chamber, and the third door and the fourth door belong to a second lock chamber, the first lock chamber and the second lock chamber being configured to provide autonomous and independent access from the outside of the first enclosure to the inside of the second enclosure respectively for a first module and a second module which both comprise a site configured to receive at least one quantum chip.
6 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 1 , comprising mechanical elements connecting the first door to the second door such that the opening of the first door initiates opening of the second door.
7 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the mechanical elements comprise a plurality of spring-loaded actuators, each actuator comprising a rod mounted slidingly in a casing and a spring configured to exert a thrust force from the first door toward the second door, such that the second door is held in place on a second frame by the thrust force when the first door is closed and is released when the first door is opened.
8 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first cryogenic enclosure comprises a first end face through which a first heat-transfer element of the first cold source extends, and/or the second cryogenic enclosure comprises a second end face through which a second heat-transfer element of the second cold source extends.
9 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first outer enclosure comprises a first additional door arranged such that the opening of the first additional door allows the opening of the first door.
10 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the second outer enclosure comprises a second additional door arranged such that the opening of the second additional door allows the opening of the first additional door.
11 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first outer enclosure is thermally connected to a third cold source.
12 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the third cold source is configured to maintain a temperature between forty Kelvin and one hundred Kelvin inside the first additional enclosure.
13 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first cold source is configured to maintain a temperature between 2.5 Kelvin and 5 Kelvin, preferably substantially equal to 4 Kelvin inside the first enclosure, and the second cold source is configured to maintain a temperature between 0.6 Kelvin and 1.5 Kelvin inside the second enclosure.
14 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 1 , configured to receive independent modules containing quantum chips functioning at very low temperatures, wherein:
the first cryogenic enclosure and the first cold source are configured to allow a temperature below or equal to 150 K to be maintained inside the first cryogenic enclosure,
the second cryogenic enclosure and the second cold source are configured to allow a temperature below or equal to 6 K to be maintained inside the second cryogenic enclosure,
a plurality of first doors and second doors form independent thermal lock chambers each allowing autonomous and independent access from the outside of the first cryogenic enclosure to the inside of the second cryogenic enclosure for a module containing quantum chips.
15 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the first cryogenic enclosure is thermally connected to the first cold source via a circuit able to transfer cold power from said first cold source to said first cryogenic enclosure.
16 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the second cryogenic enclosure is thermally connected to the second cold source via a circuit that is configured to transfer cold power from said second cold source to said second cryogenic enclosure.
17 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the first cryogenic enclosure is contained in an outer enclosure which is sealed against ambient temperature.
18 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the set of enclosures share a same pressure below or equal to 10 −4 mbar and above or equal to 10 −7 mbar, and the thermal lock chambers each allow autonomous and independent access from the outside of the outer enclosure.
19 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 14 , comprising a third cryogenic enclosure contained inside the second cryogenic enclosure and thermally connected to at least one third cold source, wherein the third cryogenic enclosure and the third cold source are configured to allow a temperature below or equal to 2 K to be maintained inside the third cryogenic enclosure, and at least some of the thermal lock chambers allow autonomous and independent access from the outside of the first cryogenic enclosure to the inside of the third cryogenic enclosure for a module containing quantum chips.
20 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the third cryogenic enclosure is thermally connected to the third cold source via a circuit able to transfer cold power from said third cold source to said third cryogenic enclosure.
21 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the thermal lock chambers are configured to receive, from the outside of one of the cryogenic enclosures, modules containing quantum chips and the connections allowing communication with said quantum chips.
22 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the thermal lock chambers are configured to receive, from the outside of the outer enclosure, modules containing quantum chips and the connections allowing communication with said quantum chips.
23 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 14 , also comprising inter-module connections allowing interconnection of the quantum chips of different modules.
24 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 14 , also comprising an anti-radioactivity protection device around at least one of the first and/or second and/or third cryogenic enclosures and/or the outer enclosure, the anti-radioactivity protection device being configured to protect the interior of the refrigeration system from external radiation.
25 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 14 , comprising a plurality of sub-Kelvin refrigeration devices arranged at least partly in the second cryogenic enclosure, each sub-Kelvin refrigeration device being configured to produce cold power so as to allow reaching of a temperature below or equal to 1 K, in particular below or equal to around one hundred milliKelvin.
26 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 25 , wherein at least one the independent thermal lock chambers allows access for a module containing quantum chips from the outside of the first cryogenic enclosure to at least one of the sub-Kelvin refrigeration devices.
27 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 25 , comprising a third cryogenic enclosure contained inside the second cryogenic enclosure and thermally connected to at least one third cold source, wherein the third cryogenic enclosure and the third cold source are configured to allow a temperature below or equal to 2 K to be maintained inside the third cryogenic enclosure, and at least some of the thermal lock chambers allow autonomous and independent access from the outside of the first cryogenic enclosure to the inside of the third cryogenic enclosure for a module containing quantum chips, wherein at least some of the sub-Kelvin refrigeration devices are arranged in the third cryogenic enclosure.
28 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 14 , comprising at least one module containing quantum chips, and at least one sub-Kelvin refrigeration device configured to produce cold power so as to allow reaching of a temperature below or equal to 1 K, in particular below or equal to around one hundred milliKelvin, and at least one thermal lock chamber allowing access for said at least one module from the outside of the first cryogenic enclosure to the inside of the second cryogenic enclosure.
29 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 25 , wherein at least one of the sub-Kelvin refrigeration devices is a 3He refrigeration device.
30 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 29 , wherein the sub-Kelvin refrigeration device comprises at least one cryogenic pumping element situated in its working circuit.
31 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 30 , wherein at least two of the sub-Kelvin refrigeration devices are refrigeration devices of the same type which share a same cryogenic pumping element.
32 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 30 , wherein the thermal lock chambers are configured to receive, from the outside of one of the cryogenic enclosures, modules containing quantum chips and the connections allowing communication with said quantum chips, wherein the cryogenic pumping element is situated inside the second cryogenic enclosure and outside the third cryogenic enclosure.
33 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 32 , wherein the sub-Kelvin refrigeration device is inside the third cryogenic enclosure.
34 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 25 , wherein at least one of the sub-Kelvin refrigeration devices is an adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration device.
35 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 25 , wherein at least one of the sub-Kelvin refrigeration devices is a dilution refrigeration device.
36 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 25 , wherein each sub-Kelvin refrigeration device is configured to function at different sub-Kelvin temperatures.
37 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first door is substantially vertically oriented and constitutes at least a portion of the first wall.
38 . The refrigeration system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second door is substantially vertically oriented and constitutes at least a portion of the second wall.