Effect of the magnet insertion on the performance of a superconducting pump

For medical and semiconductor fabrication lines, an ultra-clean and impurity-free environment is often required. In order to realize such a contaminant-free environment, it is desirable to employ a completely non-contact rotating mechanism. Such a non-contact rotation is possible by using a combination of permanent magnets and bulk superconductors. Furthermore, it is necessary to rotate a superconducting pump stably for practical applications. With the aim of increasing the stiffness of rotational parts, we placed a permanent magnet at the bottom such that the superconductors are sandwiched by top and bottom magnets. It was confirmed that the stiffness could surely be improved by arranging lower permanent magnets.