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Superconductor Science and Technology

Transition edge sensor series array bolometer

J. Beyer

Published Sep 17, 2010• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A transition edge sensor series array (TES-SA) is an array of identical TESs that are connected in series by low-inductance superconducting wiring. The array elements are equally and well thermally coupled to the absorber and respond to changes in the absorber temperature in synchronization. The TES-SA total resistance increases compared to a single TES while the shape of the superconducting transition is preserved. We are developing a TES-SA with a large number, hundreds to thousands, of array elements with the goal of enabling the readout of a TES-based bolometer operated at 4.2 K with a semiconductor-based amplifier located at room temperature. The noise and dynamic performance of a TES-SA bolometer based on a niobium/aluminum bilayer is analyzed. It is shown that stable readout of the bolometer with a low-noise transimpedance amplifier is feasible.

DOI
10.1088/0953-2048/23/10/105019

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A transition edge sensor series array (TES-SA) is an array of identical TESs that are connected in series by low-inductance superconducting wiring. The array elements are equally and well thermally coupled to the absorber and respond to changes in the absorber temperature in synchronization. The TES-SA total resistance increases compared to a single TES while the shape of the superconducting transition is preserved. We are developing a TES-SA with a large number, hundreds to thousands, of array elements with the goal of enabling the readout of a TES-based bolometer operated at 4.2 K with a semiconductor-based amplifier located at room temperature. The noise and dynamic performance of a TES-SA bolometer based on a niobium/aluminum bilayer is analyzed. It is shown that stable readout of the bolometer with a low-noise transimpedance amplifier is feasible.
We demonstrate multiplexing readout of 60 transition edge sensor (TES) bolometers operating at 90 mK using a frequency division multiplexing readout chain with bias frequencies ranging from 1 to 3.5 MHz and with a typical frequency spacing of 32 kHz. The readout chain starts with a two-stage SQUID amplifier and has a noise level of 9.5 pA/Hz. We compare current–voltage curves and noise spectra of TESs measured in a single-pixel mode and in a multiplexing mode. We also map the noise equivalent power (NEP) and the saturation power of the bolometers in both modes, where there are 43 pixels that do not show more than 10% difference in NEP and 5% in saturation power when measured in single pixel and multiplex modes. We have read out a TES with an NEP of 0.45 aW/Hz in the multiplexing-mode, which demonstrates the capability of reading out ultra-low noise TES bolometer arrays for space applications.
A cold preamplifier based on superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) is currently the preferred readout technology for the low-noise transition edge sensor (TES). In this work, we have designed and fabricated a series SQUID array (SSA) amplifier for the TES detector readout circuit. In this SSA amplifier, each SQUID cell is composed of a first-order gradiometer formed using two equally large square washers, and an on-chip low pass filter (LPF) as a radio-frequency (RF) choke has been developed to reduce the Josephson oscillation interference between individual SQUID cells. In addition, a highly symmetric layout has been designed carefully to provide a fully consistent embedded electromagnetic environment and achieve coherent flux operation. The measured results show smooth V–Φ characteristics and a swing voltage that increases linearly with increasing SQUID cell number N. A white flux noise level as low as 0.28 μ Φ 0/Hz1/2 is achieved at 0.1 K, corresponding to a low current noise level of 7 pA/Hz1/2. We analyze the measured noise contribution at mK-scale temperatures and find that the dominant noise derives from a combination of the SSA intrinsic noise and the equivalent current noise of the room temperature electronics.
The development of large superconducting bolometer (Transition Edge Sensor: TES) arrays requires ultra low noise amplification and multiplexing electronics. The use of a first transducer stage such as a SQUID (Superconducting QUantum Interference Device) allows ultimate performance in terms of noise. However, the linearization of the SQUID characteristic requires low noise amplification. Furthermore, to realize a time domain multiplexer with SQUIDs, switched biasing is also needed. We have designed an Integrated Circuit (IC) in standard BiCMOS SiGe technology for the readout and the control of a SQUID multiplexer. It includes a low noise amplifier with multiplexed inputs, switched current sources for SQUIDs, and digital circuit for the addressing with only one room temperature clock signal. We have successfully tested this integrated circuit down to 2 K. To validate the operation of a SQUID multiplexer controlled by this SiGe cryogenic IC, we have developed a 2×2 SQUID hybrid demonstrator. It consists of four commercial SQUIDs connected to a SiGe IC.
We describe our frequency-domain readout multiplexer for transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers and present measurements of an eight-channel multiplexer. Each sensor is biased with a sinusoidal bias at a distinct frequency. As the sensor absorbs power, it amplitude-modulates its sinusoidal bias. Sensor currents are summed and measured with a single superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) array. The SQUID array consists of 100 dc-SQUID's in series and is operated with shunt feedback electronics which have a slew rate of 1.210/sup 7/ /spl Phi//sub 0//s. A tuned filter consisting of an inductor and capacitor are placed in series with each sensor to both limit the bandwidth of the Nyquist noise from each sensor and to allow us to bias all multiplexed sensors with a common wire. We place an upper limit on crosstalk between adjacent channels of 0.004, well below our design requirements. Demodulated noise spectra from multiplexed sensors show the expected white noise levels at frequencies above 200 mHz.
To improve both scalability and noise-filtering capability of a transition-edge sensor (TES), a new concept of a thin-film detector is suggested, which is based on embedding a microbridge TES into a high-Q planar GHz-range resonator weakly coupled to a 50-Ω-readout transmission line. Such a TES element is designed as a hot-electron microbolometer coupled to a THz-range antenna and as a load of the resonator at the same time. A weak THz signal coupled to the antenna heats the microbridge TES, thus reducing the quality factor of the resonator and leading to a power increment in the readout line. The power-to-power conversion gain, an essential figure of merit, is estimated to be above 10. To demonstrate the basic concept, we fabricated and tested a few submicrometer-sized devices from Nb thin films for operation temperature about 5 K. The dc and RF characterization of the new device is made at a resonator frequency about 5.8 GHz. A low-noise high-electron mobility transistor amplifier is used in our TES experiments without the need for a SQUID readout. The optical sensitivity to blackbody radiation within the frequency band 600-700 GHz ismeasured as (2.7 ± 0.9) × 10-14W/√Hz at Tc≈ 5 K at bath temperature ≈1.5 K.
SQUIDs can be used as amplifiers for superconducting Transition Edge Sensor (TES) photon counting detectors. According to the physical process of photon counting, a TES signal simulator was developed to evaluate the performance of SQUID amplifier for TES detectors. A triangle simulation signal was determined to be a close match to that from a real TES photon counter. The dynamic range for the output voltage versus bias current was first characterized and then the current signals were incrementally coupled to circuit to determine the highest sensitivity of a series-array SQUID amplifier. The sensitivities are obtained by changing the triangle signal amplitude added to the TES signal simulator. The impedance changes can be deduced and further obtain the temperature changes of TES devices. When knowing the photon energy, TES design parameters can be known according to the thermal characteristics. In conclusion, the TES simulator can be well applied to guide the device design for effective readout.