Products · Superconductor components

Nb3Sn Superconductor Wires

High-Performance Wires for Demanding Applications

See how we fill, draw and react Nb₃Sn wire ↓

Advanced Nb3Sn Wire

Hyper Tech has developed high performance Nb3Sn wire suitable for applications in high energy physics (e.g., accelerators), light source (helical and planar undulators), research magnets (above 7 T) and commercial applications (e.g., high field MRI systems and fusion). We produce various types of Nb3Sn superconductors including Tube Type, APC and high-C p wires with different filament sizes.

Nb3Sn conductor gallery

Tube Type Nb3Sn Wire with 35 µm filaments
Tube Type Nb3Sn Wire with 35 µm filaments
Tube Type Nb3Sn Wire with 18 µm filaments
Tube Type Nb3Sn Wire with 18 µm filaments
APC (Artificial Pinning Center) Nb3Sn Wire with 70 µm filaments
APC (Artificial Pinning Center) Nb3Sn Wire with 70 µm filaments
APC (Artificial Pinning Center) Nb3Sn Wire with 50 µm filaments
APC (Artificial Pinning Center) Nb3Sn Wire with 50 µm filaments
APC (Artificial Pinning Center) Nb3Sn Wire with 35 µm filaments
APC (Artificial Pinning Center) Nb3Sn Wire with 35 µm filaments
High-Cp wires Nb3Sn Wire with 35 µm filaments
High-Cp wires Nb3Sn Wire with 35 µm filaments
High-Cp wires Nb3Sn Wire with 23 µm filaments
High-Cp wires Nb3Sn Wire with 23 µm filaments

How we make it

Filling and drawing: how tube-type Nb3Sn wire is made

Nb3Sn is too brittle to draw into wire once it has formed. So the wire is made first from ductile metals, with tin sealed inside niobium tubes, and the superconductor is only created at the end, in a reaction heat treatment. Here is the route, simplified.

Swipe sideways to see the whole diagram.

Making tube-type Nb3Sn wire A tin core is inserted into a niobium tube inside a copper sleeve. The filled tube is drawn through dies so it becomes thinner and longer, then many of these are restacked into a copper can and drawn again. In the reaction heat treatment, tin diffuses outward into the niobium, which turns into the superconductor Nb3Sn from the inside out. 1 · FILL Tin core into a niobium tube, in a copper sleeve tin (Sn) rodcopper (Cu)niobium (Nb) tube Cross-section: Cu · Nb · Sn 2 · DRAW Pulled through dies: thinner and longer slowfasterfastestThe marks spread apart as the wire lengthens. 3 · RESTACK AND REDRAW Many filaments in one copper can 4 · REACTION HEAT TREATMENT Tin diffuses into the niobium, forming Nb3Sn CuNb (unreacted)Nb3Sn layer growsSn core is used up Furnace heating
Simplified illustration of the route, not to scale. Materials, filament counts and heat treatment schedules vary by product.

Tube Type

The route shown above. Filament sizes such as 35 µm and 18 µm, as in the gallery.

APC

Artificial Pinning Center wire, made in 70, 50 and 35 µm filament versions.

High-Cp

High-heat-capacity wires, made in 35 and 23 µm filament versions.