High temperature superconductivity, discovered by IBM Corp in Zurich but exploited mainly by start-up US companies, is beginning to have serious applications in radio communication products, and two of the pioneers, Sunnyvale-based Conductus Inc and Superconductor Technologies Inc, Santa Barbara want to make sure that process technologies keep up. To that end, they have formed the HTS Thin-film Manufacturing Alliance, a consortium to further the development of cost-effective manufacturing technology for fabrication of superconducting thin-film components. University and industrial outfits will join the effort, which is funded by the US Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense to the tune of $5.6m over three years – provided each year’s cash is voted through.
