Elmsford, NY, September 12:  HYPRES, Inc., a leading developer of superconducting microelectronics (SME) technology, has been awarded a nine-month, $100,000 contract from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a low noise superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID)-based amplifier chip for high speed applications. The amplifier chip will be used in wireless communications, non-invasive medical diagnostic instrumentation and cryogenic detector arrays.

SQUIDs are superconducting Josephson junction circuits approximately one million times more sensitive to signals than conventional semiconductor circuits. SQUIDs combine high sensitivity and low power loss, providing a unique solution in systems requiring low power dissipation and high speed. For this effort, HYPRES will develop a SQUID array for integration into multi-channel digital electronics. The resulting high-speed, 1 GHz bandwidth amplifier chip will be compact, cost-effective, and require minimal support electronics.

"The development of such an advanced amplifier chip has tremendous potential for advanced electronic systems," said Richard Hitt, CEO and president of HYPRES. "These chips can significantly improve performance in many systems, such as analog-to-digital converters and digital transceivers, resulting in faster and better digital communications, medical diagnostic equipment and cryogenic detector arrays."

In qualifying for the DOE award, HYPRES has developed and is producing a SQUID array amplifier system fully integrated with coventional "room temperature" electronics that exhibits sensitivity of better than 2 pA/root Hz at bandwidths in excess of 10 MHz. HYPRES will expand the bandwidth capabilities significantly in the DOE project. The new SQUID array amplifier is expected to support switching speeds in excess of 20 GHz.

High-resolution high-speed amplifiers are essential interface components in all-digital systems, and in many cases the primary obstacle to achieving higher speed performance. Advancing the state-of-the-art in amplifier technology significantly improves the capabilities of many systems, such as high-speed signal acquisition instruments, digital signal processors, and sensors.

About HYPRES

HYPRES, Inc., formed in 1983, develops and commercializes Superconductor MicroElectronics (SME) that provide unparalleled economic and performance advantages for defense and commercial applications. Headquartered in Elmsford, New York, HYPRES is recognized as a worldwide leader in digital superconducting technology with the most complete digital superconductor team in the world. HYPRES has delivered more different and complex SME circuits than any other institution worldwide. For more information, please visit us at http://www.hypres.com.