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EnglishWhat Are SQUID Sensors and SQUID Electronics Used For?
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SQUID sensors and SQUID electronics are used to measure extremely small magnetic fields and other low-noise physical quantities. A SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device) is an ultra-sensitive magnetic field sensor; the electronics read out and control that sensor. Magnicon Research and Instrumentation describes itself as a worldwide leader for high-performance SQUID electronics, low-noise SQUID sensors, customized SQUID systems, and measurement know-how, so its product range maps directly onto these three layers: sensor, electronics, and complete system.
What a SQUID sensor does
A SQUID converts tiny changes in magnetic flux into a measurable electrical signal. Because it operates on superconducting principles, it can resolve field changes far below what conventional sensors detect. That sensitivity is why SQUIDs appear in low-noise physical measurement and metrology rather than in everyday sensing.
What SQUID electronics add
The sensor alone does not produce a usable measurement. SQUID electronics handle the readout and control loop that keep the sensor operating in its linear range and turn its response into a stable, low-noise output. Magnicon's product structure reflects this split:
| Layer | Function | Magnicon offering |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor | Detects magnetic flux changes | SQUID sensors |
| Electronics | Reads out and controls the sensor | SQUID electronics, amplifier modules |
| System | Combines sensors and electronics for a measurement task | Customized SQUID systems, metrology systems |
The site also lists downloads, references and links, and a customer area for software such as SQUIDViewer, the control software for its SQUID electronics.
Where these setups are used
Typical application areas are low-noise physical measurement and metrology, where the signal of interest is small and the measurement chain must not add noise. Magnicon's own news items point to concrete examples:
- Metrology and standards work. The ULCA-1 current amplifier/generator, licensed by Magnicon, was developed within the EMPIR e-SI-Amp project and its developers received the Helmholtz Award, endowed with 20,000 Euro.
- Scalable multichannel systems. A joint project with PTB and IAP (named MCFLL) aims at multichannel SQUID electronics scalable from a few channels to 1,000 or more, suitable for single-stage SQUIDs, two-stage SQUIDs, and TES bias while keeping moderate costs, low noise, and high bandwidth.
- Research community exchange. Magnicon presents products at events such as KRYO 2024, LTD20, and CPEM2018.
Why low noise and high performance matter
In these setups the sensor's advantage is only realized if the electronics do not degrade it. Noise added by the readout chain can swamp the small signals the SQUID is meant to resolve, and limited bandwidth or channel count can rule out an experiment entirely. That is why Magnicon emphasizes low-noise sensors, high-performance electronics, and bandwidth alongside scalability in its multichannel development work.
When this technology is the right fit
SQUID-based measurement is a reasonable direction when the task requires detecting very small magnetic signals or other low-noise physical quantities and conventional sensors lack the sensitivity. It is less relevant when ordinary field strengths or signals are sufficient, since superconducting operation adds cryogenic and system complexity. For a specific setup, the practical next step is to match the sensor, electronics, and system layer to the measurement, then confirm details such as software compatibility (for example, SQUIDViewer) and access to the customer download area, which the site notes requires a password.