SQUIDs is an acronym for Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices. In superconductivity, a low temperature causes metal to lose its electrical resistance: extremely low temperatures or temperatures on the order of 1-10 K above absolute zero (Absolute zero is defined as the temperature where all molecular motion ceases. It is equivalent to 0 K, which is -273°C, or -459°F). Electric current (super-current) can flow indefinitely in a ring made of superconducting material, so long as the temperature remains below the conductor's transition zone (the zone at which it is a SQUID).

The superconductor is believed to be a very modern invention, but it originated in 1907 when Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1853-1926) was able to liquify helium gas for a coolant. In 1911 superconductivity was first performed with mercury as the conductor. Most all metallic elements, as well as hundreds of alloys and intermetallic compounds, can be superconductors.

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