Our applied research is aimed primarily at the field of microwave applications of superconductors. This area of applications has progressed quickly in recent years, in part because a number of companies have had great success in producing high quality thin films of high temperature superconductors and have been able to use the films in high Q passive microwave devices such as filters and multiplexers. Our work in this area is focussed in two areas: development of the thin films growth and patterning techniques and development of diagnostic techniques for evaluating sample quality. The research involves collaboration with COMDEV in Cambridge, Ontario; and Superconductor Technologies (STI) in Santa Barbara, California.

Current projects include:

• Magneto-optic imaging of magnetic field penetration into thin films
  (check out the images showing magnetic shielding in films from STI).
• Microwave measurements of thin films in the 1-4 GHz range.
• Microwave measurements of dielectric losses in substrate materials.
• Measurement of non-linearities in surface impedance at high current density.
• Growth of NdBa₂Cu₃O_7-x films.
• Device patterning by ion implantation.