Ultra-Low-Power Superconductor Logic

We have developed a new superconducting digital technology, Reciprocal Quantum Logic, that uses AC power carried on a transmission line, which also serves as a clock. Using simple experiments we have demonstrated zero static power dissipation, thermally limited dynamic power dissipation, high clock stability, high operating margins and low BER. These features indicate that the technology is scalable to far more complex circuits at a significant level of integration. On the system level, Reciprocal Quantum Logic combines the high speed and low-power signal levels of Single-Flux- Quantum signals with the design methodology of CMOS, including low static power dissipation, low latency combinational logic, and efficient device count.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Superconducting Pulse Conserving Logic and Josephson-SRAM

Superconducting digital Pulse-Conserving Logic (PCL) and Josephson SRAM (JSRAM) memory together enable scalable circuits with energy efficiency 100x beyond leading-node CMOS. Circuit designs support high throughput and low latency when implemented in an advanced fabrication stack with high-critical-current-density Josephson junctions of 1000$\mu$A/$\mu$m$^2$. Pulse-conserving logic produces one single-flux-quantum output for each input, and includes a three-input, three-output gate producing logical or3, majority3 and and3. Gate macros using dual-rail data encoding eliminate inversion latency and produce efficient implementations of all standard logic functions. A full adder using 70 Josephson junctions has a carry-out latency of 5ps corresponding to an effective 12 levels of logic at 30 GHz. JSRAM (Josephson SRAM) memory uses single-flux-quantum signals throughout an active array to achieve throughput at the same clock rate as the logic. The unit cell has eight Josephson junctions, signal propagation latency of 1ps, and a footprint of 2$\mu$m$^2$. Projected density of JSRAM is 4 MB/cm$^2$, and computational density of pulse-conserving logic is on par with leading node CMOS accounting for power densities and clock rates.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Stabilität und Wandel von Arbeitsmarktinstitutionen aus wettbewerbsökonomischer Sicht

Dieser Beitrag fasst die Ergebnisse unserer industrieökonomischen, theoretischen Forschung zur Fragestellung von Stabilität und Wandel von Arbeitsmarktinstitutionen zusammen. Wir verfolgen dabei einen wettbewerbsökonomischen Forschungsansatz, der Marktmacht sowohl auf Arbeits- als auch auf Absatzmärkten unterstellt. In der Literatur hat sich hierfür der Begriff unionised oligopolies eingebürgert. Damit wird zum Ausdruck gebracht, dass die untersuchte Klasse von Modellen einerseits Verhandlungsmacht auf Arbeitsmärkten und andererseits unvollständigen Wettbewerb und somit Marktmacht auf Absatzmärkten berücksichtigt. Kern ist die Analyse der Wechselwirkungen zwischen Organisationsformen auf Arbeitsmärkten und Wettbewerbsverhältnissen auf Produktmärkten. Dabei analysieren wir aktuelle Entwicklungen auf dem deutschen Arbeitsmarkt wie die Einführung sektorspezifischer Mindestlöhne, die Rolle von Spartengewerkschaften, Formen der Gewinnbeteiligung von Arbeitnehmern sowie internationale Wettbewerbsaspekte wie die Verlagerung der Produktion durch internationale Unternehmen ins Ausland. -- This contribution gives an overview of the main results of our theoretical research on the stability and change of labour market institutions. We use so-called models of unionised oligopolies which are borrowed from the theory of industrial organization in order to analyse the effects of simultaneous market power in both labour and product markets. The focus of our research is on the interaction between various organisational structures of labour markets and different forms of product market competition. In particular, we analyse some current developments in Germany, such as the introduction of sector-specific minimum wages, the formation of craft unions, the increasing number of profit sharing contracts as well as the relocation of production facilities to foreign countries in the context of globalisation.

Synchronous Chip-to-Chip Communication with a Multi-Chip Resonator Clock Distribution Network

Superconducting digital circuits are a promising approach to build packaged-level integrated systems with high energy-efficiency and computational density. In such systems, performance of the data link between chips mounted on a multi-chip module (MCM) is a critical driver of performance. In this work we report a synchronous data link using Reciprocal Quantum Logic (RQL) enabled by resonant clock distribution on the chip and on the MCM carrier. The simple physical link has only four Josephson junctions and 3 fJ/bit dissipation, including a 300 W/W cooling overhead. The driver produces a signal with 35\,GHz analog bandwidth and connects to a single-ended receiver via 20 $\Omega$ Nb Passive Transmission Line (PTL). To validate this link, we have designed, fabricated and tested two 32$\times$32 mm$^2$ MCMs with eight 5$\times$5 mm$^2$ chips connected serially and powered with a meander clock, and with four 10$\times$10 mm$^2$ chips powered with a 2 GHz resonant clock. The meander clock MCM validates performance of the data link components, and achieved 5.4 dB AC bias margin with no degradation relative to individual chip test. The resonator MCM validates synchronization between chips, with a measured AC bias margin up to 4.8 dB between two chips. The resonator MCM is capable of powering circuits of 4 million Josephson junctions across the four chips with a projected 10 Gbps serial data rate.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Successful Treatment of Early Relapsed High-Risk AML After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation With Biomodulatory Therapy

Early relapse of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is an often unsuccessful therapeutic challenge. Since treatment options are few and efficacy is low, new approaches such as de novo allo-HSCT, targeted therapies and biomodulatory drugs have been developed, albeit prognosis is very poor. In this manuscript we present an unusual case of a patient with high-risk AML with an unbalanced jumping translocation and FLT3-TKD (low) mutation who presented with early relapse (FLT3 negative) after allo-HSCT, refractory to one cycle of azacytidine and discontinuation of immunosuppression (IS). As salvage therapy, the patient received a biomodulatory therapy consisting of low-dose azacytidine 75 mg/day (given s.c. d1-7 of 28), pioglitazone 45 mg/day orally, and all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) 45 mg/m(2)/day orally achieving a complete remission after two cycles of therapy. Even after cessation of treatment after 5 cycles, the patient remained in complete remission with full chimerism in peripheral blood and bone marrow for another 7 months. In conclusion, we report about an unusual case of long-lasting complete remission of early relapsed high-risk AML after allo-HSCT treated with azacytidine, pioglitazone and ATRA after standard of care treatment with HMA and discontinuation of IS failed

Properties of Nb\_xTi\_{(1-x)}N thin films deposited on 300 mm silicon wafers for upscaling superconducting digital circuits

Scaling superconducting digital circuits requires fundamental changes in the current material set and fabrication process. The transition to 300 mm wafers and the implementation of advanced lithography are instrumental in facilitating mature CMOS processes, ensuring uniformity, and optimizing the yield. This study explores the properties of NbxTi(1-x)N films fabricated by magnetron DC sputtering on 300 mm Si wafers. As a promising alternative to traditional Nb in device manufacturing, NbxTi(1-x)N offers numerous advantages, including enhanced stability and scalability to smaller dimensions, in both processing and design. As a ternary material, NbxTi(1-x)N allows engineering material parameters by changing deposition conditions. The engineered properties can be used to modulate device parameters through the stack and mitigate failure modes. We report characterization of NbxTi(1-x)N films at less than 2% thickness variability, 2.4% Tc variability and 3% composition variability. The films material properties such as resistivity (140-375 {\Omega}cm) and critical temperature Tc (4.6 K - 14.1 K) are correlated with stoichiometry and morphology of the films. Our results highlight the significant influence of deposition conditions on crystallographic texture along the films and its correlation with Tc.Comment: 8 pages 8 figure

Scaling NbTiN-based ac-powered Josephson digital to 400M devices/cm2^2

We describe a fabrication stackup for digital logic with 16 superconducting NbTiN layers, self-shunted a-silicon barrier Josephson Junctions (JJs), and low loss, high-$\kappa$ tunable HZO capacitors. The stack enables 400 MJJ/cm$^2$ device density, efficient routing, and AC power distribution on a resonant network. The materials scale beyond 28nm lithography and are compatible with standard high-temperature CMOS processes. We report initial results for two-metal layer NbTiN wires with 50nm critical dimension. A semi-ascendance wire-and-via process module using 193i lithography and 50nm critical dimension has shown cross-section uniformity of 1%=1s across the 300mm wafer, critical temperature of 12.5K, and critical current of 0.1mA at 4.2K. We also present a new design of the resonant AC power network enabled by NbTiN wires and HZO MIM capacitors. The design matches the device density and provides a 30 GHz clock with estimated efficiency of up to 90%. Finally, magnetic imaging of patterned NbTiN ground planes shows low intrinsic defectivity and consistent trapping of vorteces in 0.5 mm holes spaced on a 20 $\mu$m x 20 $\mu$m grid.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Cue-Evoked Dopamine Release Rapidly Modulates D2 Neurons in the Nucleus Accumbens During Motivated Behavior

Dopaminergic neurons that project from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) fire in response to unpredicted rewards or to cues that predict reward delivery. Although it is well established that reward-related events elicit dopamine release in the NAc, the role of rapid dopamine signaling in modulating NAc neurons that respond to these events remains unclear. Here, we examined dopamine's actions in the NAc in the rat brain during an intracranial self-stimulation task in which a cue predicted lever availability for electrical stimulation of the VTA. To distinguish actions of dopamine at select receptors on NAc neurons during the task, we used a multimodal sensor that probes three aspects of neuronal communication simultaneously: neurotransmitter release, cell firing, and identification of dopamine receptor type. Consistent with prior studies, we first show dopamine release events in the NAc both at cue presentation and after lever press (LP). Distinct populations of NAc neurons encode these behavioral events at these same locations selectively. Using our multimodal sensor, we found that dopamine-mediated responses after the cue involve exclusively a subset of D2-like receptors (D2Rs), whereas dopamine-mediated responses proximal to the LP are mediated by both D1-like receptors (D1R) and D2Rs. These results demonstrate for the first time that dopamine-mediated responses after cues that predict reward availability are specifically linked to its actions at a subset of neurons in the NAc containing D2Rs