SBIR Phase I: A Nanostructured Superconductor for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

SBIR 第一阶段：用于磁共振成像的纳米结构超导体

• 批准号: 1045912
• 负责人: Muralidhar Rao
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Kavana Technology, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-01-01 至 2011-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1045912&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Nanostructured; Superconductor; Magnetic

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop thin-film high-temperature superconductors (HTS) with superior properties that do not degrade in high magnetic fields for applications as high-performance sensor coils in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The superconductor structure will be engineered at nanoscale with the controlled distribution of impurities that act as flux pinning sites that reduce the MRI radio frequencies (rf) loss at high fields. A series of HTS thin films with different layer parameters will be grown. The films will be characterized by rf measurements on resonator structures patterned on the films. The planned product is a high-performance HTS MRI sensor coil that operates in high magnetic fields with signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 5 to 10 times higher than that of present HTS coils, and 15 to 30 times higher than that of copper coils.The broader/commercial impact of this project will be the potential to address the MRI market needs of shorter scan time and increased resolution as MRI systems migrate towards higher magnetic fields. This will lead to improved patient comforts, clinical diagnoses and drug discoveries. The current addressable market size for MRI sensor coils is about $88 million per year in the Unites States and $183 million per year worldwide.

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在开发具有上级特性的薄膜高温超导体（HTS），这些超导体在高磁场中不会退化，可用作磁共振成像（MRI）中的高性能传感器线圈。超导体结构将在纳米级上进行工程设计，其中杂质的分布受到控制，这些杂质作为磁通钉扎位点，可减少高场MRI射频（rf）损耗。 一系列具有不同层参数的高温超导薄膜将被生长。薄膜的特征在于通过对薄膜上图案化的谐振器结构进行射频测量。计划中的产品是一种高性能HTS MRI传感器线圈，可在高磁场中工作，信噪比（SNR）比现有HTS线圈高5至10倍，比铜线圈高15 ~ 30倍。该项目的商业影响将是随着MRI系统的迁移，有可能满足MRI市场对更短扫描时间和更高分辨率的需求更强的磁场。这将改善患者的舒适度、临床诊断和药物发现。目前MRI传感器线圈的可寻址市场规模在美国每年约为8800万美元，在全球每年约为1.83亿美元。