Hybrid Cryogenic Substrate Layout for Lower Cooling Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
CMOS technology in semiconductor-based integrated circuits faces limitations in device size and high power consumption, especially at high clock speeds, and superconducting logic-based components require cryogenic temperatures, leading to significant power consumption for cooling.
Innovation Solution
A computing system with superconducting and non-superconducting components co-located on a common substrate within a vacuum chamber, utilizing thermal shields and different temperature zones to maintain cryogenic and non-cryogenic operations, reducing thermal conduction and power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If superconducting logic-based components are used to process quantum information, then processing capability is improved, but power consumption increases due to the need to operate at cryogenic temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into distinct thermal zones: a first thermal zone containing superconducting logic-based components operating at cryogenic temperatures, and a second thermal zone containing non-superconducting components operating at higher temperatures. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized independently, reducing the power consumption required for cooling while maintaining the processing capabilities of the superconducting components.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the system are assigned different thermal characteristics. The first thermal zone maintains cryogenic temperatures locally where superconducting components are needed, while the second thermal zone operates at higher temperatures. This local quality approach allows superconducting components to function at their optimal temperature without requiring the entire system to be cooled, thereby reducing overall power consumption.
2Volume of moving object
If CMOS technology is used in digital circuits, then device size can be reduced, but power consumption increases due to power loss from dissipation even when circuits are inactive
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges superconducting logic-based components with non-superconducting components (such as CMOS devices) into a hybrid architecture. The superconducting components handle quantum information processing with lower power consumption, while the non-superconducting components provide complementary functionality. This merging allows the system to achieve both small device size and reduced power consumption by leveraging the strengths of each technology.
3Productivity
If superconducting components operate at cryogenic temperatures, then logic-based processing is improved, but cooling power requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments components based on their thermal requirements, placing only the superconducting logic-based components in the cryogenic first thermal zone. Non-superconducting components are located in the higher-temperature second thermal zone. This segmentation reduces the volume requiring cryogenic cooling, thereby significantly reducing the cooling power requirements while maintaining logic-based processing capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the cooling requirement from the entire system and applies it only to the specific first thermal zone containing superconducting components. By taking out the non-essential components from the cryogenic environment and placing them in the second thermal zone, the system reduces the cooling load and associated power requirements while preserving the logic-based processing benefits of superconducting components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves reduced power consumption by minimizing thermal conduction between temperature zones, allowing efficient operation of both types of components with lower cooling power requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a housing, where a vacuum is maintained inside the housing
Implementation Method 2
a heat-shield configured to thermally separate the first end from the second end of the first substrate and thermally separate the third end from the fourth end of the second substrate
Data Source
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AI summary
A computing system including a common substrate having both superconducting components and non-superconducting components is provided. The superconducting components may be attached towards a first end of the common substrate and the non-superconducting components may be attached towards a second end, opposite to the first end, of the common substrate. The common substrate may include circuit traces for interconnecting the superconducting components with the non-superconducting components. A heat-shield may thermally separate the first end from the second end of the common substrate such that the superconducting components are configured to operate in a temperature range between 2 Kelvin to 77 Kelvin and the non-superconducting components are configured to operate in a temperature range between 200 Kelvin to 400 Kelvin. Each of the superconducting components may be configured to provide primarily a processor functionality and each of the non-superconducting components may be configured to provide primarily a storage functionality.