Superconducting and Quantum Sensors – SSQ – is a well-established Research Infrastructure operating in the study of materials and devices for scientific and technological applications in the fields of superconductors, quantum devices, and cryogenic detectors. These areas require the development of innovative materials and devices capable of operating in extreme environments, such as high magnetic fields, low temperatures, and space conditions.
SSQ already provides external research organizations (such as INFN, CNR, ASI, ESA, EU) and industries (ASG, THALES Alenia Space Italia, OHB Italia, Agilent Technologies Italia) with access to its instrumentation and expertise, developed within the framework of major research projects. These include, for example, the study of new superconductors such as MgB₂ and iron-based superconductors, as well as the development of sensors and materials for space missions, such as the cryogenic detector for the future ATHENA Space Telescope of the European Space Agency. In these fields, SSQ boasts scientific results and technological achievements that are unique within the national and European landscape.
Finally, IR-SSQ is a partner in the Laboratorio Congiunto di Ricerca (LabCoR), established in 2022 together with the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) and the SPIN Institute of the Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (CNR SPIN). It also takes part in IRIS (Innovative Research Infrastructure on Applied Superconductivity), funded in 2022 under the PNRR, Mission 4 “Education and Research” – Component 2, “From Research to Business” – Investment Line 3.1 “Strengthening and Creation of Research Infrastructures”.
Activities
IR-SSQ encompasses two main areas of activity in which it has recognized expertise and a long-standing tradition:
Electrical, magnetic, and thermal measurements
Fabrication of devices with advanced electrical, magnetic, and thermal properties
The services that IR-SSQ offers to external users include:
Measurement of electrical, thermal, and magnetic properties under extreme conditions: high magnetic fields (up to 16 T), a wide temperature range (from millikelvin to 400 K), and variable pressure.
Qualification testing of materials and sensors in cryogenic environments, including thermoelastic characterization.
Device fabrication in an ISO6 clean room, where highly chemically and physically resistant metallic thin films are produced and micropatterned for space applications, along with qualification of their key physical properties.
DiFi
Measurements are realized at Dipartimento di Fisica dell’Università di Genova – DiFi - where instruments are present for resistivity, specific heat, and magnetization measurements, and for the ISO-6 cleanroom facility dedicated to the fabrication of thin films.
Since the 1980s, DIFI has been characterized by leading experimental activities in the field of low temperatures and high magnetic fields. These activities have significantly developed within national research institutions (INFN, CNR SPIN) and at the industrial level (ASG Superconductors). The strong synergy between university, research institutions, and industry was clearly demonstrated by the creation of the Columbus Superconductors spin-off, founded by UniGe faculty members and CNR researchers for the production of MgB₂ superconducting wires.
Researchers
IR-SSQ researchers are faculty members of the following courses:
- LABORATORIO DI TERMODINAMICA AVANZATA (Bachelor Degree, Physics);
- FISICA DEI MATERIALI CON LABORATORIO (Bachelor Degree, Materials Science);
- FISICA E TECNOLOGIA DELLO SPAZIO (Master Degree, Physics);
- MATERIALI E DISPOSITIVI PER L'ELETTRONICA (Master Degree, Physics);
- SUPERCONDUTTIVITÀ (Master Degree, Physics);
- MISSIONI SPAZIALI (Superior School IANUA);
Finally, the researchers active within the IR, in collaboration with INFN and CNR, have established a PhD curriculum in “Applied Superconductivity”. This program has benefited from fellowships funded by national research institutions (INFN, CNR-SPIN), industry partners (ENI, ASG Superconductors), as well as by regional authorities, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).