Microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) can detect photons ranging from terahertz, infrared, optical to X-ray frequencies. And it has the advantages of high sensitivity, easy frequency-domain multiplexing (FDM) readout, and simple structure for large-format arrays. With these advantages MKIDs are becoming the choice of incoherent detectors in astronomy such as imaging cameras and broadband imaging spectrometers. In this paper, we introduce the design and fabrication of a 5-THz 10×10 MKIDs array on a single chip from an 80-nm-thick aluminum (Al) superconducting film based on a high resistance silicon substrate. Each pixel is a quarter-wavelength resonator with its short-circuited end integrated with a 5-THz dipole antenna. The noise performance of the MKIDs is measured at 200-mK using both phase readout and amplitude readout, giving an electrical NEP ~10−17 W/Hz0.5. Detailed results will be presented.
Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs), just like a planar resonance cavity resonating at a microwave frequency, are emerging as a kind of high-sensitivity detector suitable for large format arrays at terahertz (THz) wavelengths. There are two types of MKIDs, namely distributed (or antenna-coupled) MKIDs and lumped-element MKIDs (aka LeKIDs). Various superconducting thin films (such as Al, TiN, NbTiN, NbN, and Nb) have been investigated for MKIDs. They do work so long as the detected photon energy exceeds their energy gap, but their response and noise behaviors are yet to be fully understood. Here we report on the design, fabrication, and characterization of distributed and lumped-element MKIDs made of NbTiN superconducting film. Detailed simulation and measurement results will be presented.
We design and fabricate a 350GHz 8×8 Al Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector (MKIDs) array for the demonstration of its characteristics, mainly focus on the quasiparticle lifetime of the resonators. The quasiparticle lifetime data is collected by measuring a resonator’s phase response to a LED pulse at resonant frequency in a dilution refrigerator cooled to mK stage. We also measure and discuss the influence of various parameters on the change of quasiparticle lifetime, including different LED voltage supply, bath temperature of the MKIDs, and superconducting film thickness.
Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs), with high sensitivity and relatively simple frequency multiplexing, are emerging as a kind of large-array detectors in the terahertz (THz) band. An MKID, like a superconducting resonator, is composed of a planar capacitor and inductor that are made from superconducting films. The energy gap of the superconducting film for the planar inductor (at least part of it) is lower than the energy of photons to be detected. The kinetic inductance of the superconducting film irradiated by the photons is increased, shifting the resonance frequency toward a lower frequency. The frequency shift is proportional to the kinetic inductance fraction, i.e., the ratio of the kinetic inductance to the total inductance of the planar superconducting inductor. In this paper, we thoroughly investigate the kinetic inductance fraction for lumped-element and antenna-coupled MKIDs, which are both made from NbTiN. The detailed simulation, calculation, and measurement results will be presented.
Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKID) are a promising low temperature superconducting detector because of high sensitivity, easy frequency-domain multiplexing and simple structure for large-format arrays. To develop large-format THz detectors for China’s Antarctic THz telescope, we have preliminarily designed an aluminum 64-pixel MKID array operating at the 350 GHz band. In this paper, the characteristics of the MKID array are thoroughly measured.
Superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixers, with nearly quantum-limited sensitivity, have been playing an important role in Terahertz astronomy. For practical THz SIS receivers, however, the measured noise temperatures are sometimes higher than the expected value. The extra noise is mainly due to considerable RF noise contribution from the receiver components such as beam splitter, Dewar window, and infrared filter. In this paper, we mainly present the simulation and measurement results of the three components with different materials and thicknesses. Their noise contributions are also analyzed.
Microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) are playing an increasingly role in THz astronomy. Superconducting coplanar waveguide (CPW) lines are commonly adopted in MKIDs for the resonators as well as the readout through line. It is therefore of particular interest to characterize the transmission properities of superconducting CPW lines at low temperatures. A cryogenic through-line method based on two cryogenic RF switches is proposed to characterize Nb and TiN superconducting CPW lines. On-chip calibration has been successfully carried out. Detailed results and analysis will be presented.
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