Site:           International Superconductivity Technology Center (ISTEC)
                Superconductivity Research Laboratory (SRL)
                10-13, Shinonome 1-chome, Koto-ku
                Tokyo 135, Japan
                http://www.sendai.kopas.co.jp/ISTEC/
Date Visited:   4 June 1996
WTEC Attendees: J. Willis (report author), 
                D. Gubser, 
                D. Larbalestier, 
                M. Suenaga
Hosts:          Prof. Shoji Tanaka, Vice President, ISTEC, 
                   and Director General, SRL
                Masatoshi Toriihara, Senior Managing Director, ISTEC
                Dr. Tetsuji Kobayashi, Director, 
                   International Affairs Dept., ISTEC
                Dr. Naoki Koshizuka, Deputy Director General and 
                   Director of Div. I, SRL
                Dr. Yuh Shiohara, Director of Division IV, SRL
                Hiroshi Irizawa, Director, 
                   SRL Planning and Management Dept.

BACKGROUND

In response to the discovery of high temperature superconductivity (HTS), the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) organized and founded the International Superconductivity Technology Center (ISTEC) in January of 1988 as a consortium of private companies. The ISTEC Superconductivity Research Laboratory (SRL) was established in 1988 in Nagoya and Tokyo as part of a ten-year plan to study HTS. Specific function areas of ISTEC are (1) to perform surveys and studies of the trends in superconductivity technology around the world and to investigate feasibility of industrial applications; (2) to perform basic research and development of HTS at the SRL; (3) to host symposia, workshops, and study meetings and to disseminate information through journal publications; and (4) to promote international exchange by hosting foreign researchers, dispatching Japanese researchers overseas, and hosting workshops and cosponsoring the International Superconductivity Industry Summit (ISIS).

Budget

The budget of SRL comes from two main sources: initial donations (for building and research facilities) and annual fees (for research) from member companies, and contract research funds from the New Energy and Industrial Development Organization (NEDO). The member companies contributed an initial donation of $47 million in 1988; the level now averages $6-8 million per year. Contract research from NEDO has increased steadily from $4.6 million in 1988 to $23.7 million in FY96. The total FY96 budget was approximately $32 million¹. The funding trends are shown in Fig. ISTEC.1. Members also contribute staff, from two to four persons at a time, to work at the ISTEC office or at the SRL.

There are 41 special supporting (full) member companies: 10 are electric utility companies, 10 are in electronics or telecommunications, 6 are electric wire and cable manufacturers, 4 are iron and steel producers, and 11 are from other industries. Of the 41 full member companies, 40 are Japanese companies and one is a U.S. company (DuPont). There are, in addition, 52 ordinary member companies, including six from the United States, which only participate in the information activities of ISTEC.

Organization and Staffing

ISTEC is divided into three departments: General Affairs, Research and Planning, and International Affairs. SRL is divided into two management departments (Planning and Management, and Development Promotion) and nine research divisions: (1) Characterization and Analysis of Fundamental Properties; (2) High T_c Superconducting Ceramics; (3) Mechanism of Superconductivity; (4) Chemical Processing; (5) Physical Processing; (6) Fundamental Technology for Device Applications; (7) Bulk Processing; (8) High J_c Superconductors; and (9) Database.

Fig. ISTEC.1. Funding trends for the Superconductivity Research Laboratory.

The main laboratory is located in Shinonome, Tokyo. There are branch laboratories in Nagoya, Tamachi (Tokyo), and Morioka. At the time of this WTEC visit, ISTEC had a total staff of 225, up from 118 in 1988. The staff included 41 administrative staff, 41 students, and 129 researchers, of whom 11 were division directors, 49 were employed by ISTEC, 20 were visiting scientists (most supported by fellowships from the Science and Technology Agency, NEDO, or ISTEC), and 79 had been dispatched from their companies. Member companies pay the salaries for their staff in this last category.

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Professor Tanaka summarized the research results of the SRL. The laboratory's main mission is to support materials development for MITI (NEDO) national projects. He stated that there are four major problem areas preventing practical applications of HTS:

1. superconducting tape or wire with J_c > 10⁵ A/cm² at 5 T and 77 K requires improved pinning and elimination of weak links
2. higher magnetic levitation forces and remanent (trapped) magnetic fields in bulk superconductors also require improved pinning and elimination of weak links
3. electronic applications require higher quality thin films
4. all applications require new materials with higher T_c values

The SRL is organized along material technology areas, as listed above. Each of the 9 SRL divisions contributes to solving one or more of the four problem areas. Their solutions will ultimately lead to applications of bulk material (magnetic levitation, flywheels, motors, and bearings), wires (power transmission, generators, superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES), current limiters, and magnets), and electronic devices. Notable successes highlighted by Prof. Tanaka include growth of large (10 mm) Y-123 single crystals by the crystal pulling method, growth of large RE-123 crystals (Pr, Sm, Nd) by top seeded growth, introduction of Y-211 pinning centers into YBCO in the melt powder melt growth (MPMG) process, introduction of site exchange (Ba and Nd) pinning centers in Nd-123 by thermal processing, and much work on thin film growth techniques.

Bi-2212 and Bi-2223 tapes have not been investigated in the past because (1) they were thought to be too two-dimensional, thus limiting their applicability in high temperature, high field applications, (2) member companies were already pursuing the technology, and (3) SRL was originally allowed to work only in basic and precompetitive R&D areas. SRL is now starting work on textured Y-123 conductors produced by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE). Although Bi-2212 and Bi-2223 tapes are considered to be the most promising materials available for conductor applications, SRL also has begun to focus on the development of next-generation wires and tapes using RE-123.

One unique technology being pursued at SRL is the use of single-crystal Y-123 or Nd-123 as very smooth (approximately 10 Å) substrates for Y-123 thin films for devices. Some of the devices being considered are single flux quantum (SFQ) SQUID logic elements and mixer antennas for communications. To conclude, Prof. Tanaka made some projections of applications for bulk materials and for wire as shown in Figures ISTEC.2 and ISTEC.3.

A short tour of the SRL showed very good support for R&D, including a 400 keV transmission electron microscope, automatic sample-making machine, high field magnet for high pressure NMR, $1 million crystal puller for Y-123, 4 SQUIDS (superconducting quantum interference devices), a rotating anode X-ray machine, and an incredible amount of other equipment. SRL may be the world's best-equipped HTS lab.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

Besides the technical work performed at the SRL, ISTEC is also involved in two large-scale projects (SMES and flywheel), primarily on a project management basis. These projects are both supported by MITI.

SMES Project

Chubu Electric Power Company also plays a major role in managing the technical aspects of the SMES (superconducting magnetic energy storage) project. This project began in 1991 and underwent a midterm evaluation at the end of 1993. At that point, several activities, mostly HTS materials work, were ended. Major activities at the time of the WTEC team's visit were development of the main components (Tohoku Electric Power Co., Chubu Electric Power Co., Electric Power Development Co., Hitachi, Toshiba, Mitsubishi Electric, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries); system research (Kyushu Electric Power, CRIEPI, Hitachi, Toshiba, and Mitsubishi Electric); and research into measurement techniques and materials evaluation (New Materials Center of the Osaka Science and Technology Center). Work in progress for component development included the evaluation of technology, project planning and production, and testing and evaluation of some prototype components. System studies were examining environmental effects, system optimization, and effects of introduction of SMES on the electric power system. Materials evaluation and experimentation were concentrated on metallic superconductors. This information was obtained from a pamphlet on SMES (ISTEC 1995). In the discussion, the team's hosts stated that Toshiba will be making the toroidal coil and had already produced one of three segments to be built. The original target was 100 kWh. The first coil was at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) for testing and was to be sent to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the United States for further testing. This is the first case of collaborative international tests for an electric power application of superconductivity to be held between the United States and Japan.

Flywheel Project

The flywheel project is a 5-year program contracted through NEDO that started in 1995. The NEDO brochure shows a five-year target of 10 kWh and 1 m diameter flywheel constructed from fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP). Intermediate flywheels of 0.1 kWh and 0.25 m diameter (steel) and 1 kWh and 0.4 m diameter (FRP) are also planned. One major problem is the insufficient strength of the flywheel material when rotated very rapidly. HTS bulk material will be used for the magnetic bearings, a critical feature to reduce frictional losses and increase overall system efficiency. It seems likely that SRL will contribute with HTS materials work.

Fig. ISTEC.2. Projections for technology development of bulk HTS applications.

Fig. ISTEC.3. Projections for technology development of HTS wire applications.

FUTURE OF ISTEC

ISTEC was established in 1988 and at the time of this WTEC visit was being reviewed during its eighth year by academic, industry, and government committees. Discussions seemed to suggest that ISTEC will be extended for another 5 or 10 years but with some changes possible in organization, major goals, etc.

Government Funding

Mr. Toriihara gave a presentation on governmental funding of HTS, future prospects, and how the system in Japan differs from that in the United States and Europe. Table ISTEC.1 shows the FY95 and FY96 budgets for Japan. Table ISTEC.2 shows the breakdown of funding for MITI projects. These are dominated by Super-GM and other materials development work, such as that carried out at ISTEC through NEDO. Cuts in some projects near completion (Super-GM) are offset by increases in materials R&D.

On November 15, 1995, the Japanese government adopted the Science and Technology Basic Law (Law No. 130 of 1995). This law

• sets guidelines for the promotion of science and technology
• sets responsibilities of the national and local governments in promoting science and technology
• provides for formulation of a basic plan for science and technology and securing of funds to carry out the plan
• states that the nation shall promote balanced support of diversified R&D, obtain and train researchers and technicians, improve research facilities, promote information-intensive research, and promote R&D exchanges

The basic plan is the most important part of the law, and it was to be formulated before the end of June 1996, in consultation with a nongovernmental panel of experts. This new law is expected to be beneficial to the further development of superconductivity R&D.

Figure ISTEC.4 shows a comparison of U.S. and Japanese government support for superconductivity. The large increase and then decrease in the U.S. budget, particularly for procurement, is dominated by the run up to and cancellation of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) project. The trends seen here indicate a continuing strong government support for superconductivity in Japan. Also, the government of Japan has recently started large new funding projects for universities through both MITI and STA. (Note: This was discussed in great detail by Prof. Kitazawa at Tokyo University during the June 7 site visit.)

Fig. ISTEC.4. Comparison of U.S. and Japanese government budgets for superconductivity.

Table ISTEC.1
FY95 Budget and FY96 Draft Budget Figures for Superconductivity R&D (in $ millions)

* Key to Ministries/Agencies: MITI-Ministry of International Trade and Industry; STA-Science and Technology Agency; MT-Ministry of Transport; MOE-Ministry of Education; MPT-Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.
^tIn addition to this budget, partial funding has been allocated from the science and technology promotion expenses, etc.
Source: ISTEC Journal 9 (1) 1996 (February), Japanese Edition.

Table ISTEC.2
FY95 and FY96 Superconductivity Budget for MITI (in $ millions)

Note: In addition to the above, R&D on biomagnetic systems will be conducted by the Superconducting Sensor Laboratory; funding will be provided by the Japan Key Technology Center.
Source: ISTEC Journal 9 (1), 1996 (February), Japanese Edition.

In a comparison of superconductivity R&D in Japan and the United States, Japan is seen as having good government support and a unique research laboratory specializing in HTS (SRL), but the R&D is mostly conducted by large companies so that the development of applications for small markets is rare, and basic research is weak in the universities and national laboratories. In the United States, the existence of a defense market is seen as a driver for procurement of applications, and venture companies are very common, allowing exploitation of many markets large and small. On the negative side, U.S. government policy is seen as unstable, and large companies show little interest in HTS.

Market Forecast

ISTEC is a member of the International Superconductivity Industry Summit (ISIS), and prepares budget estimates for the superconductivity market in Japan. Table ISTEC.3 lists the ISIS predictions presented at the 5th International Superconductivity Industry Summit (ISIS), held at Hakone, Japan, in May 1996. Fig. ISTEC.5 displays the predictions graphically. Note that sales in the developing world, although not shown explicitly in the table and figure, are predicted to be equal to the total of those in the United States, Japan, and Europe.

Table ISTEC.3
1996 ISIS Forecast of Sales Opportunities in Respective Regions (U.S. $ Billion)

* Commercial sale of MRI and other magnets only.
^t This forecast includes the expected expansion of sales by 100% into developing countries as predicted by the World Bank.
Sources: Estimates were made by the Council on Superconductivity for American Competitiveness (CSAC) for the U.S., the Consortium of European Companies Determined to Use Superconductivity (CONECTUS) for Europe, and the International Superconductivity Technology Center (ISTEC) for Japan; also, ISIS 1996.

Fig. ISTEC.5. Prediction of regional and world markets for superconductivity by the 5th International Superconductivity Industry Summit (ISIS 1996). Sales in the developing countries typically equal those in developed countries (U.S., Europe, Japan), according to the World Bank.

REFERENCES

ISIS. 1996. The 5^th international superconductivity industry summit (ISIS-5) communiqué (May). Attachment: Figure 1 and Table 1. Tokyo: ISTEC.

ISTEC. 1996. SMES: Research of elemental technologies for development of SMES system. Tokyo: ISTEC.

Tanaka, S. 1997. A way to commercialization of high-T_c superconductors. In Proc., 16^th Int'l. Cryogenic Engineering/Int'l. Cryogenic Material Conf. Kitakyushu, Japan, 20-14 May. Oxford: Elsevier Science.