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Cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments have deployed focal planes with O (10 4) transition edge sensor (TES) bolometers cooled to sub-Kelvin temperatures by multiplexing the readout of many TES channels onto a single pair of wires. Digital Frequency-domain Multiplexing (DfMux) is a multiplexing technique used in many CMB polarization experiments, such as the Simons Array, SPT-3 G, and EBEX. The DfMux system studied here uses LC filters with resonant frequencies ranging from 1.5 to 4.5 MHz connected to an array of TESs. Each detector has an amplitude-modulated carrier tone at the resonant frequency of its accompanying LC resonator. The signal is recovered via quadrature demodulation where the in-phase (I) component of the demodulated current is in phase with the complex admittance of the circuit and the quadrature (Q) component is orthogonal to I. Observed excess current noise in the Q component is consistent with fluctuations in the resonant frequency. This noise has been shown to be non-orthogonal to the phase of the detector's responsivity. We present a detailed analysis of the phase of responsivity of the TES and noise sources in our DfMux readout system. Further, we investigate how modifications to the TES operating resistance and bias frequency can affect the phase of noise relative to the phase of the detector responsivity, using data from Simons Array to evaluate our predictions. We find that both the phase of responsivity and phase of noise are functions of the two tuning parameters, which can be purposefully selected to maximize signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2020 decadal review recognized the measurement of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) to be a top priority for the decade. CMB experiments including POLARBEAR2/Simons Array, Atacama Cosmology Telescope/Advanced-ACT, SPT-3G, the Simons Observatory, and CMB-S4 have or will use transition edge sensor (TES) bolometer fabricated with Aluminum doped with Manganese (AlMn). AlMn is a popular material choice as the superconducting transition temperature ( T c ) and normal resistance ( R n ) of the TES can be tuned with Mn concentration, geometric patterning, film thickness, and thermal annealing. In addition the conductivity is appropriate for both time division multiplexing and frequency division multiplexing that require 10 m Ω and 1 Ω sensors respectively. In this paper we present work on the ability to tune the T c of a film based on its time and temperature thermal tuning profile combined with room temperature monitoring of film resistivity. Such control allows for the fabrication of a wide range of TES parameters from a single AlMn concentration. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging shows that the AlMn film's grain boundaries are changed by thermal annealing making the film more conductive and raising its superconducting transition temperatures, and that at high enough temperatures will eventually recover the T c of bulk Al. We find that baking films at ∼ 200 ∘ C for tens of minutes yields a T c that is suitable for 100 mK base temperature experiments and we present on the thermal tune profiles of several different thicknesses of AlMn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the successful fabrication of orthomode transducer-coupled transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometer arrays for cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarimetry experiments with the superconductor electronics fabrication facility at SEEQC Inc. Commercial microfabrication foundry could provide increase in detector fabrication throughput for a next-generation CMB experiment, CMB-S4, that would deploy approximately one order of magnitude more detectors than current CMB experiments. We also developed TES bolometers with two TESs in series that have two different superconducting temperatures ( T c ) using a superconducting proximity effect between niobium (Nb) and aluminum-manganese (AlMn) alloy. We will discuss the motivation, design considerations, fabrication processes, test results, and how industrial detector fabrication could be a path to fabricate hundreds of detector wafers for future CMB polarimetry experiments and other experiments that require TESs and superconducting RF circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superconducting Transition-Edge Sensor (TES) bolometers are used for cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations. We used a testbed to evaluate the thermal performance of TES bolometers in regard to the saturation power P sat and intrinsic thermal time constant τ 0 . We developed an evaluation method that is complementary to methods with electrothermal feedback. In our method, the antenna termination resistor of the bolometer is directly biased with DC or AC electric power to simulate optical power, and the TES is biased with small power, which allows P sat and τ 0 to be determined without contribution from the negative electrothermal feedback. We describe the method and results of the measurement using it. We evaluated P sat of five samples by applying DC power and confirmed the overall trend between P sat and the inverse leg length. We evaluated τ 0 of the samples by applying DC plus AC power, and the measured value was reasonable in consideration of the expected values of other TES parameters. This evaluation method enables us to verify whether a TES has been fabricated with the designed values and to provide feedback for fabrication for future CMB observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the development of commercially fabricated multi-chronic antenna-coupled transition edge sensor (TES) bolometer arrays for cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarimetry experiments. The orders of magnitude increase in detector count for next-generation CMB experiments require a new approach in detector wafer production to increase fabrication throughput. We describe collaborative efforts with a commercial superconductor electronics fabrication facility (SeeQC, Inc.) to fabricate antenna-coupled TES bolometer detectors. We have successfully fabricated an operational dual-polarization, dichroic sinuous antenna-coupled TES detector array on a 150-mm-diameter wafer. The fabricated detector arrays have average yield of 95% and excellent uniformity across the wafer. Both RF characteristics and TES bolometer properties are suitable for CMB observations. We successfully fabricated different types of TES bolometers optimized for frequency multiplexing readout, time-domain multiplexing readout, and microwave SQUID multiplexing readout. We also demonstrated high production throughput. We discuss the motivation, design considerations, fabrication processes, test results, and how industrial detector fabrication could be a path to fabricate hundreds of detector wafers for future CMB polarimetry experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the design, fabrication, and testing of a broadband log-periodic antenna coupled to multiple cryogenic bolometers. This detector architecture, optimized here for astrophysical observations, simultaneously receives two linear polarizations with two octaves of bandwidth at millimeter wavelengths. The broad bandwidth signal received by the antenna is divided into sub-bands with integrated in-line frequency-selective filters. We demonstrate two such filter banks: a diplexer with two sub-bands and a log-periodic channelizer with seven contiguous sub-bands. These detectors have receiver efficiencies of 20%-40% and percent level polarization isolation. Superconducting transition-edge sensor bolometers detect the power in each sub-band and polarization. We demonstrate circularly symmetric beam patterns, high polarization isolation, accurately positioned bands, and high optical efficiency. The pixel design is applicable to astronomical observations of intensity and polarization at millimeter through sub-millimeter wavelengths. As compared with an imaging array of pixels measuring only one band, simultaneous measurements of multiple bands in each pixel has the potential to result in a higher signal-to-noise measurement while also providing spectral information. This development facilitates compact systems with high mapping speeds for observations that require information in multiple frequency bands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have fabricated a dual-polarized multichroic antenna-coupled bolometer prototype pixel for use in focal planes of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarimetry experiments and for submillimeter observations of high redshift galaxies. We couple millimeter and submillimeter power onto the detector with a dual polarized sinuous antenna that has a continuous bandwidth of 60–250 GHz and we use a contacting extended hemispherical lens to boost the gain high enough to match the optics of a typical telescope. We partition each polarization channel into seen contiguous channels with a channelizer circuit that mimics the physiology of the human ear and then terminate each channel on a separate TES bolometer. Fourier Transform Spectroscopy demonstrates that the bands are near the designed locations with total receiver throughputs of 20–30%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the design, fabrication, and measured performance of a hierarchical sinuous-antenna phased array coupled to superconducting transition-edge-sensor (TES) bolometers for millimeter wavelengths. The architecture allows for dual-polarization wideband sensitivity with a beam width that is approximately frequency-independent. We report on measurements of a prototype device, which uses three levels of triangular phased arrays to synthesize beams that are approximately constant in width across three frequency bands covering a 3:1 bandwidth. The array element is a lens-coupled sinuous antenna. The device consists of an array of hemispherical lenses coupled to a lithographed wafer, which integrates TESs, planar sinuous antennas, and microwave circuitry including band-defining filters. The approximately frequency-independent beam widths improve coupling to telescope optics and keep the sensitivity of an experiment close to optimal across a broad frequency range. The design can be straightforwardly modified for use with non-TES lithographed cryogenic detectors such as kinetic inductance detectors. Additionally, we report on the design and measurements of a broadband 180° hybrid that can simplify the design of future multichroic focal planes including but not limited to hierarchical phased arrays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The POLARBEAR-2 Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiment aims to observe B-mode polarization with high sensitivity to explore gravitational lensing of CMB and inflationary gravitational waves. POLARBEAR-2 is an upgraded experiment based on POLARBEAR-1, which had first light in January 2012. For POLARBEAR-2, we will build a receiver that has 7588 Transition Edge Sensor (TES) bolometers coupled to two-band (95 and 150GHz) polarization-sensitive antennas. For the large array's readout, we employ digital frequency-domain multiplexing and multiplex 32 bolometers through a single superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). An 8-bolometer frequency-domain multiplexing readout has been deployed with the POLARBEAR-1 experiment. Extending that architecture to 32 bolometers requires an increase in the bandwidth of the SQUID electronics to 3MHz. To achieve this increase in bandwidth, we use Digital Active Nulling (DAN) on the digital frequency multiplexing platform. In this paper, we present requirements and improvements on parasitic inductance and resistance of cryogenic wiring and capacitors used for modulating bolometers. These components are problematic above 1MHz. We also show that our system is able to bias a bolometer in its superconducting transition at 3MHz. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]