Analysis of the Impact on U.S. Industry of the NIST/Boulder Superconductivity Programs: An Interim Study

摘要

The report is an interim study of the impact of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)/Boulder superconductivity programs on U.S. industry. In the report, numerical estimates are made of the return on investment for areas which could be quantified. Anecdotal material and consideration of unquantified impacts are also included, and a survey of 40 U.S. companies or separate groups within companies in the U.S. superconductor industry is made. Small, medium, and large companies are represented equally among the 40 surveyed. All respondents indicated benefit from the NIST/Boulder programs. No negative comments were made. In superconducting electronics, the greatest impact on U.S. industry of the NIST work has been from the Josephson junction voltage standards developed at NIST. Every U.S. superconducting-wire manufacturer uses the measurement methods established by NIST for accurate determination of the critical parameters of the wire with which superconducting magnets are made. An industry in high-temperature superconductivity is just emerging, with the NIST work providing the foundations for this innovative technology.