Superconducting Interconnections in Future High Performance Systems

Abstract

ABSTRACTNew, high temperature superconducting materials could eventually be used for interconnections in electronic systems. Such interconnections would undoubtedly cost more to implement than conventional ones, so the most likely applications would be for complex, high-speed systems that could benefit from the performance advantages of a resistance-free interconnecting medium. The problem with conventional conductors in these systems is that the resistance of wires increases quadratically as dimensions are scaled down. The most important advantage offered by superconductors is that they are not linked to this scaling rule. Their principal limitation is the maximum current density that they will support and this determines the range of applications for which they are superior to conventional conductors. An analysis will be presented which examines the relative advantages of superconductors for different critical current densities, wire dimensions and system sizes.If their critical current densities are adequate, and if they can statisfy a number of processing criteria, then superconductors could find useful applications in a number of high performance electronic systems. The most likely applications will be those demanding very high interconnection densities. Several of these systems will be discussed.