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Niobium-Titanium MicroFlex Cable

Flexible Superconducting | (Patent Pending)
Blue Gradient Notched Border

Overview

  • Superconducting

Niobium-titanium coax cable offers the ultimate solution for maintaining signal integrity while minimizing heat loads at low temperatures. When cooled below its superconducting transition temperature of 9.2K, the NbTi center conductor provides a zero resistance wire for signal transmission while the superconducting outer conductor utilizes the Meissner effect to protect the transmitted signal from interference. We offer this cable turnkey with soldered connector terminations (unlike commonly used crimp-style connectors) which provides a robust low-loss connection at the connector-cable junction.

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Niobium Titanium MicroFlex Illustrative Diagram

Center conductor material: NbTi

Outer conductor material: NbTi braid

Cable Outer Diameter: 0.040"

Construction

  • Cable Outer Diameter: 0.040"
  • Characteristic Impedance: 50Ω
  • Center conductor material: NbTi
  • Outer conductor material: NbTi braid
  • Dielectric material: PTFE

Heat Load

Length (in.)
6
12
18
20
24
01.K – 1K
0.021 μW
0.010 μW
0.007 μW
0.006 μW
0.005 μW
1K – 4K
0.877 μW
0.438 μW
0.292 μW
0.263 μW
0.219 μW
4K – 10K
7.451 μW
3.726 μW
2.484 μW
2.235 μW
1.863 μW

*For reference only; specifications are typical values, and actual performance may vary slightly with no performance guarantee implied.

Attenuation

Frequency (GHz)
1
5
10
15
20
293K
3.43 dB/ft
8.04 dB/ft
11.75 dB/ft
14.66 dB/ft
17.40 dB/ft
4K
less than 0.45 dB/ft (superconducting)
less than 0.45 dB/ft (superconducting)
less than 0.45 dB/ft (superconducting)
less than 0.45 dB/ft (superconducting)
less than 0.45 dB/ft (superconducting)

*For reference only; specifications are typical values, and actual performance may vary slightly with no performance guarantee implied.

Cable FAQs

How are the MicroFlex cables designed for cryogenic use?
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MicroFlex coax cables use materials that minimize thermal heat transfer to the cold plate of a cryostat while minimizing electrical loss at the same time. We also use dielectric material that is low outgassing for the vacuum environment of cryostats.

Are the MicroFlex cables formable or fully flexible?
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MicroFlex coax cables are fully flexible, not formable like other coax cables. It remains flexible even at low temperatures which makes it suitable for applications that use nanopositioners.

Is stainless steel MicroFlex magnetic?
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Yes, our stainless steel MicroFlex coax cable is slightly ferromagnetic.

Are phosphor bronze and niobium-titanium MicroFlex cables non-magnetic?
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Yes, both are non-magnetic.

What is the characteristic impedance of MicroFlex coaxial cable?
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All cables are designed to have 50Ω characteristic impedances.

What is the maximum voltage that can be used with the MicroFlex coax cable?
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The maximum voltage that can be used with MicroFlex coax cable is about 1kV.

What is the maximum current that can be used with the MicroFlex coax cable?
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We recommend using 200mA or less for our MicroFlex cable. Due to the higher resistance of MicroFlex cable materials such as stainless steel, higher currents will cause the center conductor to heat up and potentially cause damage to the dielectric while also creating excessive heat that will transmit to the cold plate of a cryostat.

What is the minimum bend radius of the MicroFlex coax cable?
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The minimum bend radius of MicroFlex cable is around 0.200 in. (5 mm).

Why does the coax cable not have outer insulation?
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We intentionally don’t add outer insulation to our MicroFlex coax cable to minimize outgassing and also to make the cable easier to thermally lag at temperature stages of a cryostat.

Do you offer custom cable designs?
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Yes, we can make cables with custom materials and sizes similar to our MicroFlex coax cable. There is usually a minimum order quantity (MOQ) required for this and certain design constraints. Please contact us if you are interested in this.