Patent ID: 8301214

Claim:
A superconducting integrated circuit configured to dynamically switch at a superconducting temperature, comprising: a first superconducting layer; a second superconducting layer; a protective layer adjacent to portions of the first superconducting layer and the second superconducting layer, formed of a material having at least one different chemical characteristic selected from the group consisting of etch susceptibility, diffusion coefficient, affinity, permeability, solubility, and reactivity for a diffusible composition, from each of the first and second superconducting layers, the protective layer being produced by a process which forms the protective layer adjacent to an unpatterned surface of one of the first and second superconducting layers which is then patterned together with the protective layer, the protective layer being superconductive, or induced into superconductivity by proximity to the first and second superconducting layers, wherein over the range of normal operation of the superconducting integrated circuit, the protective layer conducts a current between the first and second superconducting layers without switching.