1987 - 1994
Research in superconducting thin films and devices, industrial collaboration:
I had extensive industrial contacts with the local company CTF Systems, Port Coquitlam. B. Heinrich, A.E. Curzon, and J.C. Irwin have been extensively involved in an industrial cooperation with CTF Systems to develop SQUID superconducting devices. The cooperation with CTF Systems started already in 1987 with a BC Science Council grant (B. Heinrich, R. Frindt). The SPL facilities (Scanning Auger Microprobe and XPS) substantially accelerated the CTF development of Nb/Al2O3/Nb based SQUID devices. In fact this cooperation resulted in a new generation of a large three dimensional array of SQUID sensors for biomagnetic studies in neuroscience and for clinical applications. In 1993 CTF Systems brought to the market multichannel SQUID systems for whole cortex MRG/EEG measurements.
In 1989 the CTF Systems created the High Tc Alliance together with the Institute for Science and Technology of Canada (ISTC), the BC Provincial Government, and the Furukawa Corporation, Japan. The SFU group (B. Heinrich, J.C. Irwin and A.E. Curzon) and the UBC group (W.N. Hardy and J.F. Carolan) joint the High Tc Alliance in 1989. They carried out materials and superconducting studies of high Tc films and device structures. The end product was a three axes Tc SQUIDs magnetometer working at liquid nitrogen temperatures, and was employed by Furukawa Electrics in testing supply tubes for nuclear power industry. .
1987-current
External services and consulting
The SPL has a very open policy for both the external and internal users. The users span a wide range of backgrounds.
University: Over 52 groups at UBC and 19 groups at SFU have used the SPL facilities in their research programs.
Industry: Over 20 local companies have used the SPL facilities. SPL has provided materials and circuit analysis, interpretation of data, and consulting. Partial list of companies: PHOTOFAX Kelowna, MICROTEL Pacific, PMC Sierra, ANATEK, Pulp and Paper Research Institute, Power Tech. BC, Bacon Donaldson Consulting, MIVI Technologies, Ballard Power Systems, NRC Labs, Lightyear Technologies, TEKION, and Moli Energy
