Superconducting array for high-field magnetic resonance imaging

We report on the design of a planar 200MHz superconducting two-resonator array for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications. The array was made out of a double-sided thin YBa2Cu3O7−x film on r-cut sapphire substrate and consists of two 24mm diameter resonators with built-in planar capacitors for coupling to the tuning and matching electronics. Required for the performance of the MRI array, rf isolation of two resonators was accomplished by built-in planar capacitors, and the mechanism of resonator-to-resonator decoupling was analyzed. The signal-to-noise gain as a result of using high-Tc superconductor resonators/arrays was calculated and compared with experimental data.