Zachary K Keane

US Patent:

20120154800, Jun 21, 2012

Filed:

Feb 12, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/029631

Inventors:

Douglas Natelson - Houston TX, US
Daniel Robert Ward - Houston TX, US
Zachary Kyle Keane - Houston TX, US

International Classification:

G01J 3/44
G03F 7/00
B82Y 40/00

US Classification:

356301, 430319, 430296, 430318, 430 30, 977901

Abstract:

A method for producing planar extended electrodes with nanoscale spacings that exhibit very large SERS signals, with each nanoscale gap having one well-defined hot spot. The resulting highly sensitive substrate has extended metal electrodes separated by a nanoscale gap. The electrodes act as optical antennas to enhance dramatically the local electromagnetic field for purposes of spectroscopy or nonlinear optics. SERS response is consistent with a very small number of molecules in the hotspot, showing blinking and wandering of Raman lines. Sensitivity is sufficiently high that SERS from physisorbed atmospheric contaminants may be detected after minutes of exposure to ambient conditions.

US Patent:

20210359666, Nov 18, 2021

Filed:

Jul 23, 2021

Appl. No.:

17/383779

Inventors:

Zachary Kyle Keane - Baltimore MD, US

Assignee:

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION - FALLS CHURCH VA

International Classification:

H03H 11/04
H01L 39/22
H01L 39/02
H03K 19/0175
H03K 19/195
H03K 3/38

Abstract:

A capacitively-driven tunable coupler includes a coupling capacitor connecting an open end of a quantum object (i.e., an end of the object that cannot have a DC path to a low-voltage rail, such as a ground node, without breaking the functionality of the object) to an RF SQUID having a Josephson element capable of providing variable inductance and therefore variable coupling to another quantum object.

US Patent:

20210257532, Aug 19, 2021

Filed:

Feb 5, 2021

Appl. No.:

17/168443

Inventors:

AURELIUS L. GRANINGER - SYKESVILLE MD, US
JOEL D. STRAND - ELLICOTT CITY MD, US
MICAH JOHN ATMAN STOUTIMORE - KENSINGTON MD, US
ZACHARY KYLE KEANE - BALTIMORE MD, US
JEFFREY DAVID HARTMAN - SEVERN MD, US
JUSTIN C. HACKLEY - CATONSVILLE MD, US

Assignee:

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION - FALLS CHURCH VA

International Classification:

H01L 39/02
G01R 31/28
H01L 21/66
H01L 23/00
H01L 25/065
H01L 27/18
H01L 39/08
H01L 39/10
H01L 39/12
H01L 39/06
H01L 39/22

Abstract:

Test structures and methods for superconducting bump bond electrical characterization are used to verify the superconductivity of bump bonds that electrically connect two superconducting integrated circuit chips fabricated using a flip-chip process, and can also ascertain the self-inductance of bump bond(s) between chips. The structures and methods leverage a behavioral property of superconducting DC SQUIDs to modulate a critical current upon injection of magnetic flux in the SQUID loop, which behavior is not present when the SQUID is not superconducting, by including bump bond(s) within the loop, which loop is split among chips. The sensitivity of the bump bond superconductivity verification is therefore effectively perfect, independent of any multi-milliohm noise floor that may exist in measurement equipment.

US Patent:

20210066571, Mar 4, 2021

Filed:

Aug 28, 2019

Appl. No.:

16/554155

Inventors:

Aaron A. Hathaway - Baltimore MD, US
Robert M. Young - Ellicott City MD, US
John X. Przybysz - Severna Park MD, US
Greg Boyd - Washington DC, US
Zachary Keane - Baltimore MD, US

Assignee:

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION - Falls Church VA

International Classification:

H01L 39/22
H01L 39/12
H01L 39/24
F25B 21/02

Abstract:

A superconductor thermal filter is disclosed that includes a normal metal layer having a first side, an insulating layer overlying the first side of the normal metal layer, and a multilayer superconductor structure having a first side overlying a side of the insulting layer opposite the side that overlies the normal metal layer. The multilayer superconductor structure is comprised of a plurality of superconductor layers with each superconductor layer having a smaller superconducting energy band gap than the preceding superconductor as the superconductor layers extend away from the normal metal layer. The thermal filter further includes a normal metal layer quasiparticle trap having a first side and a second side with the first side being disposed on a second side of the multilayer superconductor. A bias voltage is applied between the normal metal layer and the normal metal layer quasiparticle trap to remove hot electrons from the normal metal layer.

US Patent:

20200220064, Jul 9, 2020

Filed:

Jan 7, 2019

Appl. No.:

16/241661

Inventors:

AURELIUS L. GRANINGER - SYKESVILLE MD, US
JOEL D. STRAND - ELLICOTT CITY MD, US
MICAH JOHN ATMAN STOUTIMORE - KENSINGTON MD, US
ZACHARY KYLE KEANE - BALTIMORE MD, US
JEFFREY DAVID HARTMAN - SEVERN MD, US
JUSTIN C. HACKLEY - CATONSVILLE MD, US

Assignee:

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION - FALLS CHURCH VA

International Classification:

H01L 39/02
H01L 25/065
H01L 23/00
H01L 27/18
H01L 21/66
G01R 31/28

Abstract:

Test structures and methods for superconducting bump bond electrical characterization are used to verify the superconductivity of bump bonds that electrically connect two superconducting integrated circuit chips fabricated using a flip-chip process, and can also ascertain the self-inductance of bump bond(s) between chips. The structures and methods leverage a behavioral property of superconducting DC SQUIDs to modulate a critical current upon injection of magnetic flux in the SQUID loop, which behavior is not present when the SQUID is not superconducting, by including bump bond(s) within the loop, which loop is split among chips. The sensitivity of the bump bond superconductivity verification is therefore effectively perfect, independent of any multi-milliohm noise floor that may exist in measurement equipment.

US Patent:

20190385088, Dec 19, 2019

Filed:

Jun 19, 2018

Appl. No.:

16/012543

Inventors:

OFER NAAMAN - ELLICOTT CITY MD, US
ZACHARY KYLE KEANE - BALTIMORE MD, US
MICAH JOHN ATMAN STOUTIMORE - KENSINGTON MD, US
DAVID GEORGE FERGUSON - TAKOMA PARK MD, US

Assignee:

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION - Falls Church VA

International Classification:

G06N 99/00
H04B 10/70
H04Q 3/52
H04L 12/933
G01R 33/035

Abstract:

Real-time reconfigurability of quantum object connectivity can be provided with one or more quantum routers that can each be configured as either or both of a single-pole double-throw switch and a cross-point switch. The quantum router includes variable-inductance coupling elements in RF-SQUIDs having inductors transformer-coupled to two control flux lines, one providing a static current and the other providing a dynamic current, the direction of which can be toggled to couple or uncouple quantum objects, such as qubits, based on the dynamic current direction to provide reconfigurable quantum routing.

US Patent:

20190214971, Jul 11, 2019

Filed:

Jan 11, 2018

Appl. No.:

15/868557

Inventors:

ZACHARY KYLE KEANE - BALTIMORE MD, US

Assignee:

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION - FALLS CHURCH VA

International Classification:

H03H 11/04
H01L 39/02
H01L 39/22

Abstract:

A capacitively-driven tunable coupler includes a coupling capacitor connecting an open end of a quantum object (i.e., an end of the object that cannot have a DC path to a low-voltage rail, such as a ground node, without breaking the functionality of the object) to an RF SQUID having a Josephson element capable of providing variable inductance and therefore variable coupling to another quantum object.

US Patent:

20180336153, Nov 22, 2018

Filed:

Jul 3, 2018

Appl. No.:

16/026573

Inventors:

OFER NAAMAN - ELLICOTT CITY MD, US
ZACHARY KYLE KEANE - BALTIMORE MD, US
MICAH JOHN ATMAN STOUTIMORE - KENSINGTON MD, US
DAVID GEORGE FERGUSON - TAKOMA PARK MD, US

Assignee:

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION - FALLS CHURCH VA

International Classification:

G06F 13/40
H01L 39/22
G06N 99/00
H01L 39/02

Abstract:

A tunable bus-mediated coupling system is provided that includes a first input port coupled to a first end of a variable inductance coupling element through a first resonator and a second input port coupled to a second end of the variable inductance coupling element through a second resonator. The first input port is configured to be coupled to a first qubit, and the second output port is configured to be coupled to a second qubit. A controller is configured to control the inductance of the variable inductance coupling element between a low inductance state to provide strong coupling between the first qubit and the second qubit and a high inductance state to provide isolation between the first qubit and the second qubit.