Quantum Design Introduces New High Temperature Superconductor Based Product for Physical Property Measurements
Electromagnetic coils supplied by HTS-110, Ltd. utilizing American Superconductor Corp.’s HTS wire at heart of new measurement system
San Diego, Calif. – March 16, 2005 –Quantum Design along with HTS-110 Ltd. and American Superconductor Corporation, are pleased to announce the introduction of PPMS® N2itroLab, a new product for measuring the fundamental physical properties of materials. The new instrument incorporates an electromagnetic coil built with high temperature superconductor (HTS) wire which increases its versatility and lowers its operating costs relative to similar systems that utilize copper or low temperature superconductor wire.
The Quantum Design family of Physical Property Measurement Systems (PPMS®) enables scientists and technicians to automate the characterization of materials, including their thermal, magnetic and electrical properties, which are fundamental to the understanding and development of advanced materials for nanotechnology, aerospace, and many commercial needs.
The HTS electromagnet utilized in our new the PPMS® N2itroLab generates a magnetic field of 1 Tesla (T), which is about 20,000 times stronger than the earth’s magnetic field. Liquid nitrogen – cheaper than bottled water – is employed as the coolant for the electromagnet.
The PPMS® N2itroLab will be introduced at the American Physical Society Meeting in Los Angeles, CA on March 21 – 25, 2005. We expect our first delivery of PPMS® N2itroLab instruments to occur within the next nine months. It will be one of the first commercial products in the world to utilize HTS wire, which loses all resistance to the flow of electricity when cooled with liquid nitrogen and which can conduct more than 140 times the electrical current of copper wires of the same dimensions.
“The high power density and high electrical efficiency of AMSC’s HTS wires makes it ideal for creating a new addition to our popular line of physical property measurement systems,” said Ron Sager, chairman and CEO of Quantum Design. “Because this new instrument utilizes liquid nitrogen – cheap and readily available everywhere – operating costs will be significantly reduced. We believe it will be attractive for scientists and educators around the world who need basic materials characterization capability, but whose budgets might not support liquid helium.”
The PPMS® N2itroLab’s HTS electromagnets are manufactured by HTS-110 Ltd., located in New Zealand. Partly owned by AMSC, HTS-100 develops, manufactures and sells electromagnets and components.
“We are delighted to have built the electromagnetic coil for Quantum Design’s new Physical Property Measurement System,” said Geoff Todd, CEO of HTS-110. “We believe this is one of many new commercial products that will utilize HTS wire in the near future.”
Greg Yurek, Chairman and CEO of AMSC commented that he expects the new PPMS® N2itroLab to be one of many new products that will emerge now that the performance of HTS wire has achieved commercial levels and it is available in commercial quantities. “Quantum Design is at the leading edge of a revolution in instruments and other electrical systems that are going to take advantage of the high electrical efficiency and power density of HTS wire,” he said. “We are delighted to be working with Quantum Design and HTS-110 to make the PPMS® N2itroLab one of the first of a new breed of HTS-based products available on the market.”
About HTS-110 Ltd.
HTS-110 Ltd manufactures a range of HTS 1-5 Tesla magnets and components such as current leads and coils. The company was established in April 2004 based on 17 years of high temperature superconductor research at Industrial Research Limited. The company presently has clients in Asia, North America and Australia. For more information, please see www.hts-110.com.
About American Superconductor
