IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,730,002
Granted Patent B2
US 12,730,002 · App. 18/646,508 · Granted Sep 8, 2026

Quantum-engineered superconductor metamaterial devices

Inventors: Nathan P. Myhrvold (Bellevue, WA); Brian C. Holloway (Snoqualmie, WA); Stuart A. Wolf (Bowie, MD); Rohit P. Prasankumar (Albuquerque, NM); Christoph Heil (Graz, AT)
Assignee: Enterprise Science Fund, LLC
G01J1/44B82Y15/00H10N60/30H10N60/84H10N60/85G01J2001/442
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,730,002
App. No.
18/646,508
Granted
Sep 8, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to various embodiments, a quantum-engineered superconductor metamaterial is formed with a plurality of structurally engineered superconductor nanophononic crystal nanostructures. Each superconductor nanophononic crystal nanostructure may be formed as a crystal of the superconductor material. Structural modifications are made to each superconductor nanophononic crystal nanostructure to alter a characteristic of a phonon mode of the superconducting material to enhance a superconducting parameter thereof.

Claims (48)

1 . A single-photon detector, comprising:

a nanowire of a superconductor metamaterial comprising a plurality of superconductor nanophononic crystal (SC-NPC) nanostructures of a superconductor material, wherein each SC-NPC nanostructure comprises a three-dimensional lattice of the superconductor material with a nanohole formed therein to increase electron-phonon coupling for a phonon mode of the superconductor material;

a cooling system to cool the nanowire to an operating temperature that is less than a superconducting critical temperature (T c ) of the superconductor metamaterial;

a bias circuit to bias the nanowire with a bias current that is:

below a superconducting critical current (J c ) of the superconductor metamaterial, and

above a local, reduced superconducting critical current exhibited by the superconductor metamaterial in a localized region of the nanowire in response to an incident photon, such that an incident photon forms a localized non-superconducting region in the nanowire; and

a detection circuit connected to the nanowire, the detection circuit configured to receive bias current from the bias circuit in response to an incident photon forming a localized non-superconducting region in the nanowire.

2 . The single-photon detector of claim 1 , wherein the superconducting critical temperature (T c ) of the superconductor metamaterial is at least 3 kelvin higher than a superconducting critical temperature of a thin-film or bulk form of the superconducting material.

3 . The single-photon detector of claim 1 , wherein dimensions of each SC-NPC nanostructure are selected to amplify the phonon modes of the superconductor material that have the strongest electron-phonon coupling.

4 . The single-photon detector of claim 1 , wherein dimensions of each SC-NPC nanostructure are selected to amplify at least one phonon mode of the superconductor material.

5 . The single-photon detector of claim 1 , wherein dimensions of each SC-NPC nanostructure are selected to reduce a frequency associated with at least one phonon mode, and wherein the dimensions of each SC-NPC nanostructure are selected to reduce the frequencies associated with the phonon mode by between 1 THz and 3 THz.

6 . The single-photon detector of claim 1 , wherein dimensions of each SC-NPC nanostructure are selected to reduce frequencies associated with at least one phonon mode of the superconducting material, and wherein the dimensions of each SC-NPC nanostructure are selected to reduce the frequencies associated with each of the at least one phonon mode by at least 1 THz.

7 . The single-photon detector of claim 1 , wherein the superconductor material comprises at least one of: niobium disulfide (NbS 2 ), titanium nitride (TiN), niobium nitride (NbN), niobium-titanium nitride (NbTiN), magnesium diboride (MgB 2 ), niobium carbine (NbC), niobium diselenide (NbSe 2 ).

8 . The single-photon detector of claim 1 , wherein each SC-NPC nanostructure comprises a rectangular cubic crystal with a length of X asymmetric units of the superconductor material, a width of Y asymmetric units of the superconductor material, and a thickness of Z asymmetric units of the superconductor material, where each of X, Y, and Z is an integer value.

9 . A superconductor device, comprising:

a superconductor metamaterial comprising a plurality of superconductor nanophononic crystal (SC-NPC) nanostructures of a superconductor material, wherein each SC-NPC nanostructure is formed as a rectangular cubic crystal with a nanohole formed therein,

wherein dimensions of the rectangular cubic crystal and nanohole of each SC-NPC nanostructure are selected to modify a characteristic of at least one phonon mode of the superconductor material to alter at least one superconducting parameter of the superconductor metamaterial relative to a bulk form of the superconducting material.

10 . The superconductor device of claim 9 , wherein the rectangular cubic crystal of each SC-NPC nanostructure has a length of X asymmetric units of the superconductor material, a width of Y asymmetric units of the superconductor material, and a thickness of Z asymmetric units of the superconductor material, where each of X, Y, and Z is is a positive integer, and

wherein the nanohole of each SC-NPC nanostructure has a length of A asymmetric units of the superconductor material, a width of B asymmetric units of the superconductor material, and a thickness of C asymmetric units of the superconductor material, where each of A, B, and C is a positive integer with A≤(X−2), B=(Y−2), and C=Z.

11 . The superconductor device of claim 9 , wherein the nanohole of each SC-NPC nanostructure is filled with a second superconductor material.

12 . A quantum-engineered superconductor metamaterial device, comprising:

a superconductor metamaterial comprising a plurality of superconductor nanophononic crystal (SC-NPC) nanostructures of a superconductor material, wherein each SC-NPC nanostructure comprises:

a crystal of the superconductor material, and

a structural modification to the crystal that alters a characteristic of a phonon mode of the superconductor material to enhance a superconducting parameter thereof.

13 . The device of claim 12 , further comprising a cooling system to maintain a temperature below a superconducting critical temperature (T c ) of the superconductor metamaterial.

14 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the superconducting parameter comprises a critical temperature (T c ) of the superconducting material, and wherein the critical temperature of the superconducting metamaterial is higher than a critical temperature of a bulk form of the superconducting material.

15 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the superconducting parameter comprises an energy gap (A) of the superconducting material.

16 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the structural modification to the crystal of each SC-NPC nanostructure operates to amplify the phonon mode of the superconductor material that has the strongest electron-phonon coupling.

17 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the structural modification to the crystal of each SC-NPC nanostructure operates to shift frequencies associated with at least one phonon mode of the superconducting material.

18 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the superconductor material comprises niobium disulfide (NbS 2 ), titanium nitride (TiN), niobium nitride (NbN), niobium-titanium nitride (NbTiN), magnesium diboride (MgB 2 ), niobium carbine (NbC), niobium diselenide (NbSe 2 ).

19 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the superconductor material comprises a conventional superconductor material.

20 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the structural modification to the crystal of each SC-NPC nanostructure comprises a nanohole formed within the crystal.

21 . The device of claim 20 , wherein the nanohole of each SC-NPC nanostructure is filled with a second superconductor material.

22 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the crystal of each SC-NPC nanostructure has a length of X asymmetric units of the superconductor material, a width of Y asymmetric units of the superconductor material, and a thickness of Z asymmetric units of the superconductor material, where each of X, Y, and Z is a positive integer.

23 . The device of claim 22 , wherein the structural modification of each nanophononic crystal comprises a stub formation of asymmetric units of the superconductor material that extends from one surface of the crystal, wherein the stub formation of asymmetric units of each nanophononic crystal is a rectangular stub formation with a length of A asymmetric units of the superconductor material, a width of B asymmetric units of the superconductor material, and a thickness of C asymmetric units of the superconductor material, where each of A, B, and C is an integer value with A≤ (X−2), B≤ (Y−2), and C ≥1.

24 . The device of claim 22 , wherein the structural modification to the crystal of each SC-NPC nanostructure comprises:

a rectangular nanohole with a length of A asymmetric units of the superconductor material, a width of B asymmetric units of the superconductor material, and a thickness of C asymmetric units of the superconductor material, where each of A, B, and C is a positive integer with A≤(X−2), B=(Y−2), and C≤(Z−2).

25 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the superconductor metamaterial comprises of at least one superconducting layer and at least one non-superconducting layer, and wherein at least one of the layers is twisted with respect to the other.

26 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the superconductor metamaterial is formed as a layer between a first twisted layer and a second twisted layer, and wherein at least one of the first twisted layer and the second twisted layer comprises a superconductor material.

27 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the superconductor metamaterial is formed by the twisting of a first layer and a second layer, and wherein at least one of the first twisted layer and the second twisted layer comprises a superconductor material.

28 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the structural modification to the crystal of each SC-NPC nanostructure enhances a kinetic inductance (L k ) of the superconductor metamaterial, relative to a bulk form of the superconducting material.

29 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the structural modification to the crystal of each SC-NPC nanostructure operates to decrease a normal state resistivity of the superconductor metamaterial, relative to a bulk form of the superconducting material.

30 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the structural modification to the crystal of each SC-NPC nanostructure operates to increase a normal state resistivity of the superconductor metamaterial, relative to a bulk form of the superconducting material.

31 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the structural modification to the crystal of each SC-NPC nanostructure operates to increase a critical temperature (T c ) of the superconductor metamaterial, relative to a bulk form of the superconducting material.

32 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the structural modification to the crystal of each SC-NPC nanostructure operates to decrease a critical pressure of the superconductor metamaterial, relative to a bulk form of the superconducting material.

33 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the superconductor material is used in a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD), and wherein the superconductor metamaterial operates to decrease a device recovery time of the SNSPD, relative to a bulk form of the superconducting material.

34 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the superconductor metamaterial is used in a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD), and wherein the superconductor metamaterial operates to modify a coherence time of the SNSPD, relative to a bulk form of the superconducting material.

35 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the superconductor material is used in a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD), and wherein the superconductor metamaterial operates to increase a thermal conductivity normal to an interface between the superconductor metamaterial and a dielectric substrate, relative to a bulk form of the superconducting material.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 24, 2026
From: MYHRVOLD, NATHAN P; HOLLOWAY, BRIAN C; PRASANKUMAR, ROHIT P; HEIL, CHRISTOPHER
To: ENTERPRISE SCIENCE FUND, LLC
Reel/Frame 075069/0832 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 24, 2026
From: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES MANAGEMENT, LLC
To: ENTERPRISE SCIENCE FUND, LLC
Reel/Frame 075071/0710 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 63519796 · Aug 15, 2023
Provisional Application 63498351 · Apr 26, 2023
Related Publication 20240410748A1 · Dec 12, 2024
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