1. Transition Measurements of a Micron-Sized Transition-Edge Hot-Electron Microbolometer.
- Author
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Barrentine, E. M., Brandl, D. E., Brown, A. D., Cao, N. T., Denis, K. L., Hsieh, W. T., Stevenson, T. R., Timbie, P. T., U.-Yen, K., and Wollack, E. J.
- Subjects
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DETECTORS , *ASTRONOMY , *THIN films , *SUBSTRATES (Materials science) , *COSMIC background radiation - Abstract
We are developing a Transition-Edge Hot-electron Microbolometer (THM) for use in large detector array applications in millimeter-wave astronomy. This bolometer detector consists of a superconducting bilayer TES with an overlapping thin-film semi-metal absorber. The detector is deposited directly on the substrate and thermal isolation of the bolometer is controlled by electron-phonon scattering within the small volume of the detector. We present measurements characterizing the transition behavior of several micron-sized THM test devices which are optimized for photon-noise-limited observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). We interpret these measurements in terms of a lateral proximity effect between the TES and the superconducting Nb TES leads. We discuss possible modifications to the THM design to compensate for this effect while retaining the small detector volume necessary to obtain the desired value of electron-phonon thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2009
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