A SBIR Phase II contract was awarded to Quantum Design in March, 2019 for $749,912.0 USD from the U.S. Department of Defense and United States Air Force.
The Phase I results will be utilized in Phase II to fabricate the SQUID chips and to incorporate them into a novel laboratory prototype for advanced magnetic detection for NDE and biomagnetic medical imaging. This prototype will take an innovative hybrid mechanical/electronic approach to gradiometery that will allow the baseline (the separation between cancellation coils) to be adjusted from 0 to 4 cm and varied for increased depth of view into the target of interest. Quantum Design’s experience in developing SQUID based systems over the past 40 years combined with UC Riverside’s two decades of experience in HTS electronics will help to ensure success of this program to establish a commercial HTS gradiometer system.