The goal of MTT-18 Microwave Superconductivity is to foster the use of the superconductivity and cryogenics in all aspects of microwave technology and to foster and expedite the dissemination and sharing of technical information among the superconductivity, cryogenics and microwave communities.

The Technical Coordinating Committee MTT-18 Microwave Superconductivity was established in 1988 shortly after the discovery of superconductivity in materials with superconducting transition temperatures above 77 K, the boiling point of liquid nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. Prior to this discovery, it had been known for more than thirty years that the microwave surface resistance of then-known superconductors (the highest known superconducting transition temperature, at that time, was only 23 K) could be orders of magnitude lower than copper at the same temperature. This property had been used since the mid-1960Õs to fabricate very high Q-value cavities for accelerating atomic particles in high-energy particle accelerators in many high energy physics laboratories around the world. However, the requirement of cooling such devices to temperatures near 4 K precluded their use in other than very large installations. The advent of superconductivity above 77 K, with drastically reduced cryogenic refrigeration burden, opened the possibility of deploying very high Q-value, very low electrical loss RF, microwave and millimeter wave components on platforms such as cars, ships, airplanes and satellites.

During the intervening years, MTT-18 has been active at the IMS sponsoring one or, sometimes, two workshops each year and an occasional rump session. The workshops have covered a wide range of topics in microwave superconductivity from basic phenomena, CAD, high power device characterization. wireless communications applications and cryogenic measurements and packaging. For example, at the 1998 IMS held in Baltimore, MTT-18 co-sponsored workshops on "Cryogenics: A New Beginning" and on "Comparative Filter Technology for Communications Systems". During the 1999 IMS in Anaheim, CA, a Workshop on "Ultra-High Speed Cryoelectronic Circuits" sponsored by MTT-18 will be held on Friday, 18 June 1999.

At the present time, there are 16 members on MTT-18 from the US, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom representing research organizations in industry, government and academia (see below).

The Co-Chair of MTT-18, Dr. M. Nisenoff of the Naval Research Laboratory will act as a Co-Director, along with Prof. Harold Weinstock of the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research, of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Advanced Summer Institute (ASI) on the topic of "Microwave Superconductivity". The Institute will be held in at Millau in southern France from 29 August through 10 September 1999. Information about this ASI can be found on the World Wide Web at www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/9088. (Note: This WEB address is case-sensitive.)

International Superconducting Electronics Conference
The Claremont Hotel
Berkeley CA USA
21 - 26 June 1999
e-mail: centennial@ocrui.com

Cryogenic Engineering Conference
International Cryogenic Materials Conference
Montreal, Quebec, CANADA
12 - 16 July 1999
WEB Site: www.cec-icmc.org

NATO Advanced Study Institute on Microwave Superconductivity
Millau, FRANCE
29 August - 10 September 1999
WEB Site: www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/9088 (Address is case sensitive.)

4th European Conference on Applied Superconductivity
Melia Grand Sitges Hotel
Sitges, Barcelona, SPAIN
14 - 17 September 1999
WEB Site: www.icmab.es/eucas99

Applied Superconductivity Conference "00
Virginia Beach VA USA
17 - 23 September 2000
WEB Site: www.ascinc.com

1. M. Tinkham, "Introduction to Superconductivity" R. E. Kreiger Publishing Co., Philadelphia, 1981.
2. T. Van Duzer and C. W. Turner, "Principles of Superconductive Devices and circuitsÕ Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1981.
3. A. Barone and G. Paterno, "Physics and Applications of the Josephson Effect", John Wiley & Son, New York. 1985.
4. S. T. Ruggiero and D. A. Rudman, "Modern Sujperconductive Devices", Academic Press, New York, 1988.
5. M. J. Lancaster, "Passive Microwave Device Applications of High Temperature Superconductivity", Cambridge University Press, 1997.
6. Z. Y. Shen, "High-Temperature Superconductivity Microwave circuits" Artech House, Boston, 1994.
7. J. H. Hinkin, "Superconductor Electronics: Fundamentals and Microwave Applications", Verlag-Springer, Berlin, 1989
8. T. P. Sheahen, "Introduction to High-Temperature Superconductivity", Plenum Press, New York, 1994.
9. V. Z. Kresin and S. Q. Wolf, "Fundamentals of Superconductivity" Plenum Press, New York, 1990.

An excellent periodic summary of the status of all aspects of superconductivity can be obtained by reviewing the proceedings of the Applied Superconductivity Conference that is held biannually. These proceedings can be found in the following IEEE Transactions:

1. IEEE Trans. on MAGNETICS, MAG-11, No. 2, (1975)
2. IEEE Trans. on MAGNETICS, MAG-13, No. 2, (1977)
3. IEEE Trans. on MAGNETICS, MAG-15, No. 2, (1979)
4. IEEE Trans. on MAGNETICS, MAG-17, No. 2, (1981)
5. IEEE Trans. on MAGNETICS, MAG-19, No. 2, (1983)
6. IEEE Trans. on MAGNETICS, MAG-21, No. 2, (1985)
7. IEEE Trans. on MAGNETICS, MAG-23, No. 2, (1987)
8. IEEE Trans. on MAGNETICS, MAG-25, No. 2, (1989)
9. IEEE Trans. on MAGNETICS, MAG-27, No. 2, (1991)
10. IEEE Trans. on Applied Superconductivity, 3, No. 1, (1993)
11. IEEE Trans. on Applied Superconductivity, 5, No. 2, (1995)
12. IEEE Trans. on Applied Superconductivity, 7, No. 2, (1997)
13. IEEE Trans. on Applied Superconductivity, 9, No. 2, (1999), to be published.