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Applied Physics Letters

Characterization and reduction of unexplained noise in superconducting transition-edge sensors

Joel N. Ullom, William Bertrand Doriese, Gene C Hilton, James A. Beall, Steven W. Deiker, William Duncan, L. Ferreira, K. D. Irwin, C. D. Reintsema, Leila R. Vale

Published May 7, 2004• 124 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The noise in superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs) commonly exceeds simple theoretical predictions. The reason for this discrepancy is presently unexplained. We have measured the amplitude and frequency dependence of the noise in TES sensors with eight different geometries. In addition, we have measured the dependence of the noise on operating resistance, perpendicular magnetic field, and bath temperature. We find that the unexplained noise contribution is inversely correlated with the temperature width of the superconducting-to-normal transition and is reduced by a perpendicular field and in certain geometries. These results suggest paths to improved sensor performance.

DOI
10.1063/1.1753058

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Journal of Low Temperature Physics•Jan 7, 2026•1 citation
The noise in superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs) commonly exceeds simple theoretical predictions. The reason for this discrepancy is presently unexplained. We have measured the amplitude and frequency dependence of the noise in TES sensors with eight different geometries. In addition, we have measured the dependence of the noise on operating resistance, perpendicular magnetic field, and bath temperature. We find that the unexplained noise contribution is inversely correlated with the temperature width of the superconducting-to-normal transition and is reduced by a perpendicular field and in certain geometries. These results suggest paths to improved sensor performance.
We present a detailed analysis of the fundamental noise sources in superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs), ac voltage biased at MHz frequencies and treated as superconducting weak links. We have studied the noise in the resistive transition as a function of bath temperature of several detectors with different normal resistances and geometries. We show that the "excess" noise, typically observed in the TES electrical bandwidth, can be explained by the equilibrium Johnson noise of the quasiparticles generated within the weak link. The fluctuations at the Josephson frequency and higher harmonics contribute significantly to the measured voltage noise at the detector bandwidth through the nonlinear response of the weak link with a sinusoidal current-phase relation.
Transition-edge sensors (TESs) are two-dimensional superconducting films utilized as highly sensitive detectors of energy or power. These detectors are voltage biased in the superconducting-normal transition where the film resistance is both finite and a strong function of temperature. Unfortunately, the amount of electrical noise observed in TESs exceeds the predictions of existing noise theories. We describe a possible mechanism for the unexplained excess noise, which we term "mixed-down noise." The source is Johnson noise, which is mixed down to low frequencies by Josephson oscillations in devices with a nonlinear current-voltage relationship. We derive an expression for the power spectral density of this noise and show that its predictions agree with measured data.
Transition edge sensors (TESs) are used extensively in millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave astronomy. The next technological push is to reduce the noise equivalent powers from 10−17 to 10−20 W Hz−1/2 in order to take full advantage of the exceptionally low backgrounds associated with cooled-aperture space telescopes. We describe a lab-on-a-chip (LoC) for measuring the small-signal and noise properties of ultralow-noise microstrip-coupled TESs. The LoC comprises two suspended SiNx membranes, one of which supports a single-mode, variable-temperature blackbody source, and the other a microstrip-coupled TES. The two devices are connected by a superconducting microstrip transmission line. The temperature of the source is determined by Johnson noise thermometry using superconducting quantum interference device readout. In this paper, we describe the theory, layout, operation, and calibration of the experimental system and report on two prototype devices. The LoC concept has many advantages, and already we have been able to assess the optical efficiencies of our TESs. We have started to gain an appreciation of the losses associated with 100–300 GHz microminiature superconducting microstrip transmission lines at low temperatures. The next phase of our work is to apply the technique to ultralow-noise detectors, to study fluctuation phenomena in multimode devices, and to investigate the behavior of more complicated integrated circuits.
We theoretically predict and experimentally observe the onset of weak-link physics in the dynamical response of transition-edge sensors (TESs). We develop a theoretical framework based on a Fokker-Planck description that incorporates both the TESs electrical response, stemming from Josephson phenomena, and the electrothermal effects due to coupling to a thermal bath. Our measurements of a varying dynamic resistance are in excellent agreement with our theory, thereby establishing weak-link phenomena as the main mechanism underlying the operation of TESs. Furthermore, our description enables the calculation of power spectral densities, paving the way for a more thorough investigation of the unexplained ``excess noise'' in long diffusive junctions and TESs reported in recent experiments.
Transition-Edge Sensors (TESs) are microcalorimeters that measure the energy of incident single photons by the resistance increase of a superconducting film biased within the superconducting-to-normal transition. TES are able to detect single photons from IR to X-ray with an intrinsic energy resolution and photon-number discrimination capability. Metrology, astronomy and quantum \ncommunication are the fields where these properties can be particularly useful. In this work, we report about characterization of different TESs based on Ti films. Single photons have been detected from 200nm to 800 nm working at transition temperature Tc ∼ 100 mK. Using a pulsed laser at 690nm we have demonstrated the capability to resolve up to five photons.
Abstract In photonic quantum computing and quantum information processing, photon number resolution is crucial for generating highly non-classical quantum states. Superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs) are considered one of the most effective photon number-resolving detectors for this purpose. However, the current timing properties of TESs, such as timing jitter (a few ns) and recovery time (several hundred ns), are insufficient, limiting the operational speed of quantum applications. To address the potential for improving TES timing performance, we have proposed an improved calculation to derive TES timing jitter. Our calculations including the effect of the SQUID noise indicate that expanding the electrical bandwidth of the external voltage amplifier and optimizing the inductance to match that bandwidth, can significantly improve timing jitter. According to our model, timing jitter 1 ns FWHM is achievable with an input inductance of 0.35 nH and an electrical bandwidth of 1 GHz. Additionally, we have shown that with our TES and SQUID parameters, the lowest achievable timing jitter is approximately 0.71 ns FWHM. Achieving an even lower jitter would require a redesign aimed at further reducing the SQUID noise.