Superconducting 300 MHz Phased-Array for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Applications

Abstract

This article reports on the development of superconducting phased-arrays by presenting a 300-MHz high critical temperature superconductors (HTS) array for imaging small animals for functional MRI of a rat brain and for high resolution imaging of spine injuries. Two four-element arrays are designed according to the requirements imposed by cryogenics and superconductor epitaxial technology limitations, with one made of copper and the other with HTS epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7-x thin films.