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In this paper, we report on X-ray transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeters optimized to have the best possible energy resolution for a limited energy range for the incoming X-rays, such as an energy resolution of 0.3 eV full width half maximum (FWHM) for energies up to $$\approx 0.8\,{\mathrm{keV}}$$ as is desirable for one of the Lynx X-ray Microcalorimeter subarrays. The test array we have fabricated has $$60\times 60$$ sensors on a pitch of $$50\,\upmu {\mathrm{m}}$$, and has $$46\times 46\,\upmu {\mathrm{m}}^2$$ absorbers that are one micrometer thick. We have measured a spectral energy resolution of the same device using 3 eV photons delivered through an optical fiber. For the one-photon 3 eV line, we have obtained an energy resolution of 0.25 eV FWHM, which is consistent with the estimated performance based on the signal size and noise. Further measurements will determine how the energy resolution degrades with energy. Based upon measurements of the TES transition characteristics, it appears that this level of energy resolution should be achievable up to 0.5 keV, and the performance will then gradually degrade to the measured energy resolution of around 2.3 eV at 1.5 keV. In this paper, we describe the full design and characterization of this detector, and discuss the performance limits of pixels designs like this.

The energy range of transition-edge sensor (TES) X-ray microcalorimeters with a multiplexed readout depends upon the width and shape of the TES superconducting transition, and also on the dynamic range of the readout. In many detector systems, the multiplexed readout slew rate capability will be the limiting factor for the energy range. In these cases, if we are willing to accept some energy resolution degradation, we can significantly extend the energy range by increasing the bath temperature of operation, essentially creating a second “extended energy range” mode of operation. For example, if we require the very highest energy resolution up to 7 keV, and wish to optimize the design up to this energy, for some measurements it could be very beneficial to have a mode where we can extend the energy range to 15–20 keV even if some energy resolution is sacrificed. In this paper, we explore the trade-off between dynamic range and energy resolution from changing the bath temperature of the TES. We present measurements of TES resolution and slew rate as a function of bath temperature and compare to numerical simulations.

We report on the development of multi-absorber transition edge sensors (TESs), referred to as hydras. A hydra consists of multiple x-ray absorbers each with a different thermal conductance to a TES. Position information is encoded in the pulse shape. With some trade-off in performance, hydras enable very large format arrays without the prohibitive increase in bias and read-out components associated with arrays of individual TESs. Hydras are under development for the next generation of space telescope such as Lynx. Lynx is a NASA concept under study that will combine a < 1 arcsecond angular resolution optic with 100,000-pixel microcalorimeter array with energy resolution of deltaE_FWHM ~ 3 eV in the soft x-ray energy range. We present first results from hydras with 25-pixels for Lynx. Designs with absorbers on a 25 micron and 50 micron pitch are studied. Arrays incorporate, for the first time, microstrip buried wiring layers of suitable pitch and density required to readout a full-scale Lynx array. The resolution from the coadded energy histogram including all 25-pixels was deltaE_FWHM = 1.66+/-0.02 eV and 3.34+/-0.06 eV at an energy of 1.5 keV for the 25 micron and 50 micron absorber designs respectively. Position discrimination is demonstrated from parameterization of the rise-time., 7 pages, 5 figures. Low Temperature Detectors 18 Conference, Milan Italy

With the improving energy resolution of transitionedge sensor (TES) based microcalorimeters, performance verification and calibration of these detectors has become increasingly challenging, especially in the energy range below 1 keV where fluorescent atomic X-ray lines have linewidths that are wider than the detector energy resolution and require impractically high statistics to determine the gain and deconvolve the instrumental profile. Better behaved calibration sources such as grating monochromators are too cumbersome for space missions and are difficult to use in the lab. As an alternative, we are exploring the use of pulses of 3 eV optical photons delivered by an optical fiber to generate combs of known energies with known arrival times. Here, we discuss initial results of this technique obtained with 2 eV and 0.7 eV resolution X-ray microcalorimeters. With the 2 eV detector, we have achieved photon number resolution for pulses with mean photon number up to 133 (corresponding to 0.4 keV).

Micro-X is a sounding rocket-borne X-ray telescope that uses a transition edge sensor microcalorimeter array to provide high-energy-resolution spectroscopy. Micro-X is a versatile instrument with plans to observe the Puppis A supernova remnant during its first flight, as well as future observations of the Milky Way to search for X-ray signals from decaying dark matter. Commissioning and functionality testing are complete, and the thermal performance of the system has been validated. We are currently evaluating the detector performance in the flight cryostat with the flight multiplexing electronics. Operating in this setup has allowed us to characterize sources of detector and readout noise, as well as to implement mitigation techniques to improve performance in anticipation of the upcoming flight. We present an overview of important noise considerations in addition to an update on latest detector performance.

We performed small-scale demonstrations at GSFC of high-resolution X-ray TES microcalorimeters read out using a microwave SQUID multiplexer. This work is part of our effort to develop detector and readout technologies for future space-based X-ray instruments such as the microcalorimeter spectrometer envisaged for Lynx, a large mission concept under development for the Astro 2020 Decadal Survey. In this paper we describe our experiment, including details of a recently designed, microwave-optimized low-temperature setup that is thermally anchored to the 55 mK stage of our laboratory ADR. Using a ROACH2 FPGA at room temperature, we read out pixels of a GSFC-built detector array via a NIST-built multiplexer chip with Nb coplanar waveguide resonators coupled to rf-SQUIDs. The resonators are spaced 6 MHz apart (at $$\sim $$ 5.9 GHz) and have quality factors of $$\sim $$ 15,000. In our initial demonstration, we used flux-ramp modulation frequencies of 125 kHz to read out 5 pixels simultaneously and achieved spectral resolutions of 2.8–3.1 eV FWHM at 5.9 keV. Our subsequent work is ongoing: to-date we have achieved a median spectral resolution of 3.4 eV FWHM at 5.9 keV while reading out 28 pixels simultaneously with flux-ramp frequencies of 160 kHz. We present the measured system-level noise and maximum slew rates and briefly describe our future development work.

The Micro-X sounding rocket flew for the first time on July 22, 2018, becoming the first program to fly Transition-Edge Sensors and multiplexing SQUID readout electronics in space. While a rocket pointing failure led to no time on-target, the success of the flight systems was demonstrated. The successful flight operation of the instrument puts the program in a position to modify the payload for indirect galactic dark matter searches. The payload modifications are motivated by the science requirements of this observation. Micro-X can achieve world-leading sensitivity in the keV regime with a single flight. Dark matter sensitivity projections have been updated to include recent observations and the expected sensitivity of Micro-X to these observed fluxes. If a signal is seen (as seen in the X-ray satellites), Micro-X can differentiate an atomic line from a dark matter signature., Proceedings of the 18th International Workshop on Low Temperature Detectors (LTD18)

A NASA-built x-ray microcalorimeter spectrometer has been installed on the MST facility at the Wisconsin Plasma Physics Laboratory and has recorded x-ray photons emitted by impurity ions of aluminum in a majority deuterium plasma. Much of the x-ray microcalorimeter development has been driven by the needs of astrophysics missions, where imaging arrays with few-eV spectral resolution are required. The goal of our project is to adapt these single-photon-counting microcalorimeters for magnetic fusion energy research and demonstrate the value of such measurements for fusion science. Microcalorimeter spectrometers combine the best characteristics of the x-ray instrumentation currently available on fusion devices: high spectral resolution similar to an x-ray crystal spectrometer and the broadband coverage of an x-ray pulse height analysis system. Fusion experiments are increasingly employing high-Z plasma-facing components and require measurement of the concentration of all impurity ion species in the plasma. This diagnostic has the capability to satisfy this need for multi-species impurity ion data and will also contribute to measurements of impurity ion temperature and flow velocity, Zeff, and electron density. Here, we introduce x-ray microcalorimeter detectors and discuss the diagnostic capability for magnetic fusion energy experiments. We describe our experimental setup and spectrometer operation approach at MST, and we present the results from an initial measurement campaign.

We have specialized astronomical applications for X-ray microcalorimeters with superconducting transition edge sensors (TESs) that require exceptionally good TES performance, but which operate in the small-signal regime. We have therefore begun a program to carefully characterize the entire transition surface of TESs with and without the usual zebra stripes to see if there are reproducible local “sweet spots” where the performance is much better than average. These measurements require precise knowledge of the circuit parameters. Here, we show how the Shapiro effect can be used to precisely calibrate the value of the shunt resistor. We are also investigating the effects of stress and external magnetic fields to better understand reproducibility problems.

The traditional method of applying a digital optimal filter to measure X-ray pulses from transition-edge sensor (TES) devices does not achieve the best energy resolution when the signals have a highly non-linear response to energy, or the noise is non-stationary during the pulse. We present an implementation of a method to analyze X-ray data from TESs, which is based upon principal component analysis (PCA). Our method separates the X-ray signal pulse into orthogonal components that have the largest variance. We typically recover pulse height, arrival time, differences in pulse shape, and the variation of pulse height with detector temperature. These components can then be combined to form a representation of pulse energy. An added value of this method is that by reporting information on more descriptive parameters (as opposed to a single number representing energy), we generate a much more complete picture of the pulse received. Here we report on progress in developing this technique for future implementation on X-ray telescopes. We used an 55Fe source to characterize Mo/Au TESs. On the same dataset, the PCA method recovers a spectral resolution that is better by a factor of two than achievable with digital optimal filters.

Arrays of transition-edge sensors (TESs) X-ray microcalorimeters can provide high energy resolution and a large area necessary for the future X-ray mission Athena (2028~). An array with 4000 TESs will be employed on the X-ray satellite for the first time. The detector can achieve energy resolution of 2.5-3.0 eV and a high quantum efficiency in the energy range of 0.3-12 keV. Multiplexing the readout is necessary to minimize the number of readout amplifiers, the amount of wiring in the cryostat, and the cooling power required at the base-temperature. We are developing frequency-domain multiplexing (FDM) readout of TES microcalorimeters. In the FDM configuration, the TES is ac voltage biased at well-defined frequencies (between 2 and 6 MHz). For the development of the readout of the Athena instrument, we are using a nearly quantum-limited high-dynamic-range two-stage superconducting quantum interference device amplifier from VTT and high-Q lithographical LC resonators. In this paper, we will present the current status of the development of FDM readout of TES microcalorimeters. We will report on the results obtained using arrays fabricated at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center group.

Micro-X is a sounding rocket borne X-ray telescope that utilizes transition edge sensors to perform imaging spectroscopy with a high level of energy resolution. Its 2.1m focal length X-ray optic has an effective area of 300 cm 2 , a field of view of 11.8 arcmin, and a bandpass of 0.1–2.5 keV. The detector array has 128 pixels and an intrinsic energy resolution of 4.5 eV FWHM. The integration of the system has progressed with functional tests of the detectors and electronics complete, and performance characterization of the detectors is underway. We present an update of ongoing progress in preparation for the upcoming launch of the instrument.

The Astro-H (Hitomi) Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) was a pioneering imaging x-ray spectrometer with 5 eV energy resolution at 6 keV. The instrument used a microcalorimeter array at the focus of a high-throughput soft x-ray telescope to enable high-resolution non-dispersive spectroscopy in the soft x-ray waveband (0:3-12 keV). We present the suite of ground calibration measurements acquired from 2012-2015, including characterization of the detector system, anti-coincidence detector, optical blocking filters, and filter-wheel filters. The calibration of the 36-pixel silicon thermistor microcalorimeter array includes parameterizations of the energy gain scale and line spread function for each event grade over a range of instrument operating conditions, as well as quantum efficiency measurements. The x-ray transmission of the set of five Al/polyimide thin-film optical blocking filters mounted inside the SXS dewar has been modeled based on measurements at synchrotron beamlines, including with high spectral resolution at the C, N, O, and Al K-edges. In addition, we present the x-ray transmission of the dewar gate valve and of the filters mounted on the SXS filter wheel (external to the dewar), including beryllium, polyimide, and neutral density filters.

The focal plane of the X-ray integral field unit (X-IFU) for ESA's Athena X-ray observatory will consist of approximately 4000 transition edge sensor (TES) x-ray microcalorimeters optimized for the energy range of 0.2 to 12 kiloelectronvolts. The instrument will provide unprecedented spectral resolution of approximately 2.5 electronvolts at energies of up to 7 kiloelectronvolts and will accommodate photon fluxes of 1 milliCrab (90 counts per second) for point source observations. The baseline configuration is a uniform large pixel array (LPA) of 4.28 arcseconds pixels that is read out using frequency domain multiplexing (FDM). However, an alternative configuration under study incorporates an 18 by × 18 small pixel array (SPA) of 2 arcseconds pixels in the central approximately 36 arcseconds region. This hybrid array configuration could be designed to accommodate higher fluxes of up to 10 milliCrabs (900 counts per second) or alternately for improved spectral performance (less than 1.5 electronvolts) at low count-rates. In this paper we report on the TES pixel designs that are being optimized to meet these proposed LPA and SPA configurations. In particular we describe details of how important TES parameters are chosen to meet the specific mission criteria such as energy resolution, count-rate and quantum efficiency, and highlight performance trade-offs between designs. The basis of the pixel parameter selection is discussed in the context of existing TES arrays that are being developed for solar and x-ray astronomy applications. We describe the latest results on DC biased diagnostic arrays as well as large format kilo-pixel arrays and discuss the technical challenges associated with integrating different array types on to a single detector die.

The soft x-ray spectrometer (SXS) onboard Astro-H presents to the science community unprecedented capability (> 7 eV at 6 keV) for high-resolution spectral measurements in the range of 0.5 – 12 keV to study extended celestial sources. At the heart of this SXS is the x-ray calorimeter spectrometer (XCS) where detectors (calorimeter array and anticoincidence detector) operate at 50 mK, the bias circuit operates at nominal 1.3 K, and the first stage amplifiers operate at 130 K, all within a nominal 20 cm envelope. The design of the detector assembly in this XCS originates from the Astro-E x-ray spectrometer (XRS) and lessons learned from Astro-E and Suzaku. After the production of our engineering model, additional changes were made in order to improve our flight assembly process for better reliability and overall performance. In this poster, we present the final design and implementation of the flight detector assembly, show comparison of parameters and performance to Suzaku’s XRS, and list susceptibilities to other subsystems as well as our lessons learned.

The calorimeter array of the JAXA Astro-H (renamed Hitomi) Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) was designed to provide unprecedented spectral resolution of spatially extended cosmic x-ray sources and of all cosmic x-ray sources in the Fe-K band around 6 keV. The properties that make the SXS a powerful x-ray spectrometer also make it sensitive to the entire electromagnetic band. If characterized as a bolometer, it would have a noise equivalent power (NEP) of < 4x10(exp -18) W/(Hz)0.5. Thus it was imperative to shield the detector from thermal radiation from the instrument and optical and UV photons from the sky. Additionally, it was necessary to shield the coldest stages of the instrument from the thermal radiation emanating from the warmer stages. These needs are addressed by a series of five thin-film radiation blocking filters that block long-wavelength radiation while minimizing x-ray attenuation. The SXS aperture assembly is a system of barriers, baffles, filter carriers, and filter mounts that supports the filters and inhibits their potential contamination. The three warmer filters also were equipped with thermometers and heaters for decontamination.

Athena is a European X-ray observatory, scheduled for launch in $$\sim $$ 2028. Athena will employ a high-resolution imaging spectrometer called X-ray integral field unit (X-IFU), consisting of an array of $$\sim $$ 4000 transition edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter pixels. For the readout of X-IFU, we are developing frequency domain multiplexing, which is the baseline readout system. In this paper, we report on the performance of a TES X-ray calorimeter array fabricated at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) at MHz frequencies for the baseline of X-IFU detector. During single-pixel AC bias characterization, we measured X-ray energy resolutions (at 6 keV) of about 2.9 eV at both 2.3 and 3.7 MHz. Furthermore, in the multiplexing mode, we measured X-ray energy resolutions of about 2.9 eV at 1.3 and 1.7 MHz.

Microcalorimeters onboard future x-ray observatories require an anti-coincidence detector to remove environmental backgrounds. In order to most effectively integrate this anti-coincidence detector with the main microcalorimeter array, both instruments should use similar read-out technology. The detectors used in the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) use a phonon measurement technique that is well suited for an anti-coincidence detector with a microcalorimeter array using SQUID readout. This technique works by using a transition-edge sensor (TES) connected to superconducting collection fins to measure the athermal phonon signal produced when an event occurs in the substrate crystal. Energy from the event propagates through the crystal to the superconducting collection fins, creating quasiparticles, which are then trapped as they enter the TES where they produce a signal. We are currently developing a prototype anti-coincidence detector for future x-ray missions and have recently fabricated test devices with Mo/Au TESs and Al collection fins. We present results from the first tests of these devices which indicate a proof of concept that quasiparticle trapping is occurring in these materials.

We have developed a process to integrate microstripline wiring with transition edge sensors (TES). The process includes additional layers for metal-etch stop and dielectric adhesion to enable recovery of parameters achieved in non-microstrip pixel designs. We report on device parameters in close-packed TES arrays achieved with the microstrip process including R(sub n), G, and T(sub c) uniformity. Further, we investigate limits of this method of producing high-density, microstrip wiring including critical current to determine the ultimate scalability of TES arrays with two layers of wiring.

We are developing kilo-pixel arrays of TES microcalorimeters to enable high-resolution X-ray imaging spectrometers for future X-ray observatories and laboratory astrophysics experiments. Our current array design was targeted as a prototype for the X-ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer proposed for the International X-ray Observatory, which calls for a 40x40-pixel core array of 300 micron devices with 2.5 e V energy resolution (at 6 keV). Here we present device characterization of our 32x32 arrays, including X-ray spectral performance of individual pixels within the array. We present our results in light of the understanding that our Mo/Au TESs act as weak superconducting links, causing the TES critical current (Ic) and transition shape to oscillate with applied magnetic field (B). We show Ic(B) measurements and discuss the uniformity of these measurements across the array, as well as implications regarding the uniformity of device noise and response. In addition, we are working to reduce pixel-to-pixel electrical and thermal crosstalk; we present recent test results from an array that has microstrip wiring and an angle-evaporated Cu backside heatsinking layer, which provides Cu coverage on the four sidewalls of the silicon wells beneath each pixel.

Transition-edge sensor microcalorimeter arrays in compact geometries and large formats experience local heating from bias power and x-ray hits that must be dissipated in the frame. For devices on solid, non-perforated silicon substrates, we have introduced an underlying embedded copper heatsinking layer to enhance the ability of the frame to remove this heat. In particular, such a layer can mitigate thermal crosstalk between nearby pixels within the array. Further improvements in array performance, such as decreased magnetic field sensitivity and stray inductance, are possible by turning the heatsinking layer into a superconducting ground plane. In this presentation, we report on the development of heatsinking layers consisting of a 1-2 μm thick high-quality copper layer which is sandwiched between two thin refractory metal-based diffusion barriers. These diffusion barriers are designed to avoid copper migration into the surrounding material over time, especially during our high temperature TES fabrication process which takes place in excess of 400°C . A 0.3-0.5 μm thick PECVD SiO2 cover layer isolates the heatsinking layer from the detector circuit. We present first results on our attempt to tailor the materials forming the diffusion barrier to fabricate both well defined superconducting ground planes and non-superconducting layers with the desired barrier characteristics.

In a large close-packed array of x-ray microcalorimeters, sufficient heat sinking is important to minimize thermal crosstalk between pixels and to make the bath temperature of all the pixels uniform. We have measured crosstalk in our 8 times 8 pixel arrays. The shapes of the thermal crosstalk pulses are reproduced well as a convolution of heat input from the source pixel and the thermal decay in the receiver pixel. The amount of the thermal crosstalk is clearly dependent on the degree of electrothermal feedback. We have compared the magnitude of thermal crosstalk with and without a heat-sinking copper layer on the backside of the silicon frame as a function of distance between the source and receiver pixels. Using the results obtained, we have estimated the degradation of energy resolution that is expected as a function of count rate. We have also studied the temperature distribution within an array due to continuous heating from the TES bias to estimate impacts on the uniformity of the pixel performance.

We describe our current fabrication process for arrays of superconducting transition edge sensor microcalorimeters, which incorporates superconducting Mo/Au bilayers and micromachined silicon structures. We focus on materials and integration methods for array heatsinking with our bilayer and micromachining processes. The thin superconducting molybdenum bottom layer strongly influences the superconducting behavior and overall film characteristics of our molybdenum/gold transition-edge sensors (TES). Concurrent with our successful TES microcalorimeter array development, we have started to investigate the thin film properties of molybdenum monolayers within a given phase space of several important process parameters. The monolayers are sputtered or electron-beam deposited exclusively on LPCVD silicon nitride coated silicon wafers. In our current bilayer process, molybdenum is electron-beam deposited at high wafer temperatures in excess of 500 degrees C. Identifying process parameters that yield high quality bilayers at a significantly lower temperature will increase options for incorporating process-sensitive auxiliary array components (AAC) such as array heat sinking and electrical interconnects into our overall device process. We are currently developing two competing technical approaches for heat sinking large compact TES microcalorimeter arrays. Our efforts to improve array heat sinking and mitigate thermal cross-talk between pixels include copper backside deposition on completed device chips and copper-filled micro-trenches surface-machined into wafers. In addition, we fabricated prototypes of copper through-wafer microvias as a potential way to read out the arrays. We present an overview on the results of our molybdenum monolayer study and its implications concerning our device fabrication. We discuss the design, fabrication process, and recent test results of our AAC development.

NASA’s X-ray spectrometer (XRS) microcalorimeter instrument has been operating at the electron beam ion trap (EBIT) facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory since July of 2000. The spectrometer is currently undergoing its third major upgrade to become an easy to use and extremely high-performance instrument for a broad range of EBIT experiments. The spectrometer itself is broadband, capable of simultaneously operating from 0.1 to 12 keV and has been operated at up to 100 keV by manipulating its operating conditions. The spectral resolution closely follows the spaceflight version of the XRS, beginning at 10 eV FWHM at 6 keV in 2000, upgraded to 5.5 eV in 2003, and will hopefully be ~3.8 eV in the fall of 2007. Here we review the operating principles of this unique instrument, the extraordinary science that has been performed at EBIT over the last six years, and prospects for future upgrades. Specifically, we discuss upgrades to cover the high-energy band (to at least 100 keV) with a high quantum efficiency detector and prospects for using a new superconducting detector to reach 0.8 eV resolution at 1 keV and 2 eV at 6 keV with high counting rates. PACS Nos.: 52.25.Os, 52.70.La, 95.85.Nv, 32.30.Rj, 07.85.Fv, 78.70.En

At SRON we are developing Frequency Domain Multiplexing for the read-out of superconducting transition edge sensor microcalorimeters for future X-ray astrophysical missions. We will report on the performance of Goddard Space Flight Center pixels under AC bias in the MHz frequency range. Superconducting flux transformers are used to improve the impedance matching between the low ohmic TESs and the SQUID. We connected 5 pixels to the LC filters with resonant frequencies ranging between 1 and 5 MHz. For X-ray photons of 6 keV we measured a best X-ray energy resolution of 3.6 eV at 1.4 MHz, consistent with the integrated Noise Equivalent Power. In addition, we improved the electrical circuit by optimizing the coupling ratio of the impedance matching transformer. In addition, we improved electrical circuit for impedance matching; modified transformer coupling ratio. As a result, we got the integrated noise equivalent power resolution of 2.7 eV at 2.5 MHz. A characterization of the detector response as a function of the AC bias voltage, bias frequency and the applied magnetic field is presented.

Superconducting bilayers made of thin films of molybdenum and gold show promise as robust transition-edge sensor (TES) thermometers for calorimeters. We present our first X-ray results from experiments with Mo/Au TES calorimeters on silicon-nitride membranes. These results include analysis of the signal pulse shape and noise as functions of the bias point, which is varied through changing the bias voltage for operation at different places within the superconducting transition and changing the heat sink temperature relative to the transition temperature. Ultimately, we determined that the performance of our devices is limited by the slew rate of the SQUID amplifier used to measure the change in current, which restricts the choice of bias. The amplifier must be replaced before further device characterization and optimization can proceed.

The X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS) instrument, scheduled to be launched as part of the Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite Astro-E in February 2000, has an array of 32 microcalorimeters at the focal plane. These calorimeters consist of ion-implanted silicon thermistors and HgTe thermalizing X-ray absorbers. These devices provide spectral resolution of 9 eV at 3 keV and 11 eV at 6 keV. The process of determining the detector parameters for this instrument will be discussed. This will include discussion of the array layout, thermal conductance of the link to the heat sink, operating temperature, thermistor size, absorber choice, and means of attaching the absorber to the thermistor bearing element. We consider the XRS calorimeters to be operating in a local optimum, with the absolute optimization yet to be performed, thus we will discuss directions for future development of this sensor technology.

Recently we have produced X-ray microcalorimeters with resolving powers approaching 2000 at 5.9 keV using a spare XRS microcalorimeter array. In these experiments, we attached 400 μ m square, 8 μ m thick HgTe absorbers using a variety of attachment methods to an XRS array and tested the detector array at temperatures between 40 and 60 mK. The best results were for absorbers attached using the standard XRS absorber-pixel thermal isolation scheme utilizing SU-8 polymer tubes. In this scenario we achieved a resolution of 3.2 eV FWHM at 5.9 keV. Substituting a silicon spacer for the SU-8 tubes also yielded sub-5 eV results. In contrast, absorbers attached directly to the thermistor produced significant position dependence and thus degraded resolution. We discuss these new high resolution results, the various absorber attachment schemes, and planned future improvements.

Micro-X is a NASA-funded, sounding rocket-borne X-ray imaging spectrometer that will allow high precision measurements of velocity structure, ionization state and elemental composition of extended astrophysical systems. One of the biggest challenges in payload design is to maintain the temperature of the detectors during launch. There are several vibration damping stages to prevent energy transmission from the rocket skin to the detector stage, which causes heating during launch. Each stage should be more rigid than the outer stages to achieve vibrational isolation. We describe a major design effort to tune the resonance frequencies of these vibration isolation stages to reduce heating problems prior to the projected launch in the summer of 2014., 6 pages, 7 figures, LTD15 Conference Proceedings

The magnetization of localized spins in metals is discussed as a sensor for the low temperature calorimetric detection of particles.

The Micro‐X Imaging X‐ray Spectrometer is a sounding rocket payload slated for launch in 2011. An array of Transition Edge Sensors, which is operated at a bath temperature of 50 mK, will be used to obtain a high resolution spectrum of the Puppis‐A supernova remnant. An Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator (ADR) with a 75 gram Ferric Ammonium Alum (FAA) salt pill in the bore of a 4 T superconducting magnet provides a stable heat sink for the detector array only a few seconds after burnout of the rocket motors. This requires a cold stage design with very short thermal time constants. A suspension made from Kevlar strings holds the 255 gram cold stage in place. It is capable of withstanding loads in excess of 200 g. Stable operation of the TES array in proximity to the ADR magnet is ensured by a three‐stage magnetic shielding system which consists of a superconducting can, a high‐permeability shield and a bucking coil. The development and testing of the Micro‐X payload is well underway.

A decade has elapsed since the design, development and realization of a SQUID‐based time‐division multiplexer at NIST. During this time the system has been used extensively for low‐temperature‐detector‐array measurements. Concurrently, there have been substantial advancements both in detector array and commercial electronic component technology. The relevance and applicability of the technology has blossomed as well, often accompanied by more demanding measurement requirements. These factors have motivated a complete redesign of the NIST room‐temperature read‐out electronics. The redesign has leveraged advancements in component technology to achieve new capabilities better suited to the SQUID multiplexers and detector arrays being realized today. As examples of specific performance enhancements, the overall system bandwidth has been increased by a factor of four (a row switching rate of 6.24 MHz), the compactness has been increased by over a factor of two (a higher number of detector columns and rows per circuit board), and there are two high speed outputs per column (allowing fast switching of SQUID offsets in addition to digital feedback). The system architecture, design implementations, and performance advantages of the new system will be discussed. As an application example, the science chain flight electronics for the Micro‐X High Resolution Microcalorimeter X‐ray Imaging Rocket will be described as both a motivation for, and a direct implementation of the new system.

We present experimental results and designs of large‐absorber transition‐edge‐sensor (TES) X‐ray microcalorimeters. Much of our effort has focused on developing close‐packed arrays of 250–300 μm‐sized pixels suitable for the X‐ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer (XMS) on the International X‐ray Observatory. These efforts have produced devices with the requisite energy resolution of ≳2.5 eV (FWHM) at 6 keV. There are several upcoming applications, however, that require arrays composed of significantly larger pixels. In this contribution we present experimental results from 490 μm‐sized pixels that have attained 3.5 eV energy resolution at 6 keV. These devices are precursors to the pixels that are being developed for the XMS extended array. In addition, we briefly describe detector designs for the Micro‐X sounding rocket experiment, which also requires an array of large‐area TES microcalorimeters.

X‐ray observations of solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) emission, a nuisance to astrophysicists, will dramatically enhance our ability to determine the structure and variability of the Earth’s magnetosheath. Such observations could be made from the lunar surface or an Earth‐orbiting spacecraft and will resolve key controversies about magnetopause physics as well as better characterize SWCX emission with the aim of avoiding or removing it from astrophysical observations.

The Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is being used to absolutely calibrate the transmission efficiency of x-ray filters employed by diodes and spectrometers used to diagnose laser-produced plasmas. EBIT emits strong, discrete monoenergetic lines at appropriately chosen x-ray energies. X rays are detected using the high resolution EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer (ECS), developed for LLNL at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. X-ray filter transmission efficiency is determined by dividing the x-ray counts detected when the filter is in the line of sight by those detected when out of the line of sight. Verification of filter thickness can be completed in only a few hours, and absolute efficiencies can be calibrated in a single day over a broad range from about 0.1 to 15 keV. The EBIT calibration lab has been used to field diagnostics (e.g., the OZSPEC instrument) with fully calibrated x-ray filters at the OMEGA laser. Extensions to use the capability for calibrating filter transmission for the DANTE instrument on the National Ignition Facility are discussed.

The Micro-X High Resolution Microcalorimeter X-ray Imaging Rocket is sounding rocket experiment that will combine a transition-edge-sensor X-ray-microcalorimeter array with a conical imaging mirror to obtain high-spectral-resolution images of extended and point X-ray sources. Our first target is the Puppis A supernova remnant, which will be observed in January 2011. The Micro-X observation of the bright eastern knot of Puppis A will obtain a line-dominated spectrum with up to 90,000 counts collected in 300 seconds at 2 eV resolution across the 0.3-2.5 keV band. Micro-X will utilize plasma diagnostics to determine the thermodynamic and ionization state of the plasma, to search for line shifts and broadening associated with dynamical processes, and seek evidence of ejecta enhancement. We describe the progress made in developing this payload, including the detector, cryogenics, and electronics assemblies. A detailed modeling effort has been undertaken to design a rocket-bourne adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator with sufficient magnetic shielding to allow stable operation of transition edge sensors, and the associated rocket electronics have been prototyped and tested.

We are developing arrays of X-ray microcalorimeters on a 50-µm pitch that utilize transition-edge sensors as the sensor to measure the temperature rise when X-rays are absorbed. An array of this type of pixel has great potential for the study of point sources in future X-ray observatory missions. The pixels have gold absorbers with dimensions 45 × 45 × 4.2 µm3. We measured an energy resolution of 0.72 ± 0.03 eV full width at half maximum for the Al Kα complex in a subset of pixels within the array, which is the best resolution to date using a non-dispersive detector at this energy. We describe our characterization of this device including measurements of the heat capacity, thermal conductance to the heat bath, and the temperature and current sensitivity of the detector, and discuss its potential for improved performance.

The XRS microcalorimeter will be launched in 2005 as part of the Astro‐E2 mission. It will cover the energy band from 0.3 to 10 keV with a nearly constant energy resolution of 6.0 eV and a peak effective area of 200 cm2 at 1.5 keV. The XRS will provide unprecedented throughput and resolving power, particularly at high energies. Detailed spectral features in the Fe K region will be resolved for the first time, providing access to spectroscopic diagnostics for a wide range of astrophysical objects. In this presentation we will describe the XRS instrument, details of its spectral performance, and how it compares to the current high‐resolution instruments on the Chandra and XMM‐Newton observatories.

The US-Japanese ASTRO-E observatory, is scheduled to be launched in early 2000. ASTRO-E carries four X-ray CCD detectors and a hard X-ray detector. The CCDs are located at the focus of grazing incidence X-ray mirrors and will primarily provide imaging over 0.4–12 keV bandpass. ASTRO-E also carries the XRS microcalorimeter X-ray detector. A platinum X-ray mirror will focus X-rays onto a 32-element array of microcalorimeter pixels for high-throughput, high-resolution spectroscopy with limited spatial resolution. The mean measured energy resolution of the XRS flight model detector is about 12 eV at 6 keV for the nominal operating temperature of 65 mK. We present results from our calibration of the XRS flight model detector. We describe the methods used to determine the spectral redistribution of the detector and the overall detection efficiency.

In our work following the invention of the x-ray calorimeter, we improved the resolution to 7.3 eV, at which point our emphasis changed from demonstration to application. Our recent calorimeter development effort has proceeded along two tracks, one for soft (

Magnetically coupled calorimeters (MCC) have extremely high potential for X-ray applications. Although very high energy-resolution has been demonstrated, until now there has been no multiplexed read-out of MCCs. We report on the first realization of a time domain multiplexed read-out of MCCs. Although this has many similarities with time domain multiplexing of transition-edge sensors, for MCCs the energy resolution is limited by the SQUID read-out noise, and requires the well established scheme to be altered in order to minimize degradation due to noise aliasing effects. In our approach, each pixel is read out by a single first-stage SQUID that is operated in open loop. The outputs of the SQ1s are low-pass filtered with an array of low cross-talk inductors, then fed into a single-stage SQUID multiplexer. The multiplexer is addressed from room temperature and read out through a single amplifier channel. We present the noise performance and compare to expectations. We have demonstrated multiplexed X-ray spectroscopy at 5.9 keV and for improved readout noise achieved an energy resolution ΔEFWHM

We are developing small-pixel transition-edge sensor microcalorimeters for solar physics and astrophysics applications. These large format close-packed arrays are fabricated on solid silicon substrates and are designed to have high energy resolution, and also accommodate count-rates of up to a few hundred counts per second per pixel for X-ray photon energies up to ~ 8 keV. We have fabricated kilo-pixel versions that utilize narrow-line planar and stripline wiring. These arrays have a low superconducting transition temperature, which results in a low heat capacity and low thermal conductance to the heat sink. We present measurements of the performance of pixels with single 65-μm absorbers on a 75-μm pitch. With individual single pixels of this type, we have achieved a full-width at half-maximum energy resolution of 0.9 eV with 1.5 keV Al K X-rays, to our knowledge the first X-ray microcalorimeter with sub-eV energy resolution. We will discuss the properties of these arrays and their application to new solar and astrophysics mission concepts.

In this paper, we present the progress made at SRON in the read-out of X-ray Transition Edge Sensor (TES) microcalorimeters under AC bias. The experiments reported so far, whose aim was to demonstrate an energy resolution of 2 eV at 6 keV with a TES acting as a modulator, were carried out at frequencies below 700 kHz using a standard flux locked loop SQUID read-out scheme. The TES read-out suffered from the use of suboptimal circuit components, large parasitic inductances, low quality factor resonators, and poor magnetic field shielding. We have developed a novel experimental set-up that allows us to test several read-out schemes in a single cryogenic run. In this set-up, the TES pixels from a GSFC array are coupled via superconducting transformers to 18 high-Q lithographic LC filters with resonant frequencies ranging between 2 and 5 MHz. The signal is amplified by a two-stage SQUID current sensor and baseband feedback is used to overcome the limited SQUID dynamic range. We measured an X-ray energy resolution of 3.6 eV at 1.4 MHz, which is consistent with the measured integrated Noise Equivalent Power.

We describe the anticipated performance of an x-ray microcalorimeter instrument on ITER. As part of the core imaging x-ray spectrometer, the instrument will augment the imaging crystal spectrometers by providing a survey of the concentration of heavy ion plasma impurities in the core and possibly ion temperature values from the emission lines of different elemental ions located at various radial positions.

The calibration of the soft x-ray spectral response of a large radius of curvature, high resolution grating spectrometer (HRGS) with a back-illuminated charge-coupled device detector is reported. The instrument is cross-calibrated for the 10-50 Å waveband at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory electron beam ion trap (EBIT) x-ray source with the EBIT calorimeter spectrometer. The HRGS instrument is designed for laser-produced plasma experiments and is important for making high dynamic range measurements of line intensities, line shapes, and x-ray sources.

An x-ray microcalorimeter consists of an absorber and a thermometer connected to each other, and to a heat sink, via well defined thermal conductances. The standard theoretical derivation of energy resolution treats the absorber and thermometer as point elements that are internally isothermal. In reality, the finite size and internal diffusivity of the absorber and thermometer prevents these elements from instantly achieving a uniform temperature, leading to a variation in observed pulse shapes as a function of the interaction’s position within the absorber. These variations result in a distortion of the detector response and a subsequent degradation of the energy resolution. This paper presents diffusivity measurements for x-ray microcalorimeters fabricated at the NASA/GSFC. Using a diffusion model we developed, we show quantitatively how a 2eV Gaussian response is distorted into a non-Gaussian profile roughly 12eV wide at an energy of 6keV for an absorber diffusivity of 104μm2∕μs. We then present a meth...

Semiconductor thermistors have been used for several years and their ideal behavior is well known both experimentally and theoretically. Their current performance is limited by non-ideal behaviors. These include 1/f noise and non-ohmic effects. We find that the 1/f noise appears to be a 2-D effect, and can be greatly reduced by fabricating thicker thermistors. Eliminating this noise could improve the intrinsic detector resolution as much as 40%. It also allows us to study other sources of excess noise in the thermometer. The non-ohmic behavior can be empirically explained using a hot-electron model. Although this model does not seem suitable for semiconductors in the variable range-hopping regime, where the electrons are localized, it fits the experimental data quite well. We measured an excess white noise at low frequencies consistent with the predicted thermodynamic fluctuations between electrons and phonons. We also measured a characteristic time of the non-ohmic behavior that is consistent with a C/G ...

Over the last decade, the field of x‐ray calorimeters has matured to the point where calorimeter instruments are becoming more common, requiring the development of turnkey systems that are easy to use for non‐expert operators. In addition, the use of large arrays in spaceflight instruments requires a significant reduction in data density in order to remain compatible with highly restricted telemetry bandwidths. As calorimeter instruments mature and find wider use outside of the laboratory, the ability to perform signal analysis and data reduction on the raw data stream in real‐time has gone from a convenience to a necessity.We will report on the adaptation of the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) based analysis electronics originally developed for the 32 channel Astro‐E and Astro‐E2 satellite missions to a full software version implemented with off‐the‐shelf hardware. This implementation requires a minimum of human intervention and is capable of real‐time data analysis of x‐ray events on many channels simult...

The Micro‐X sounding rocket experiment will deploy an imaging transition‐edge‐sensor (TES) microcalorimeter spectrometer to observe astrophysical sources in the 0.2–3.0 keV band. The instrument has been designed at a systems level, and the first items of flight hardware are presently being built. In the first flight, planned for January 2011, the spectrometer will observe a recently discovered Silicon knot in the Puppis‐A supernova remnant. Here we describe the design of the Micro‐X science instrument, focusing on the instrument’s detector and detector assembly. The current design of the 2‐dimensional spectrometer array contains 128 close‐packed pixels with a pitch of 600 μm. The conically approximated Wolter‐1 mirror will map each of these pixels to a 0.95 arcmin region on the sky; the field of view will be 11.4 arcmin. Targeted energy resolution of the TESs is about 2 eV over the full observing band. A SQUID time‐division multiplexer (TDM) will read out the array. The detector time constants will be engineered to approximately 2 ms to match the TDM, which samples each pixel at 32.6 kHz, limited only by the telemetry system of the rocket. The detector array and two SQUID stages of the TDM readout system are accommodated in a lightweight Mg enclosure, which is mounted to the 50 mK stage of an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator. A third SQUID amplification stage is located on the 1.6 K liquid He stage of the cryostat. An on‐board 55‐Fe source will fluoresce a Ca target, providing 3.69 and 4.01 keV calibration lines that will not interfere with the scientifically interesting energy band.

We have characterized the 1/f noise in standard ion-implanted silicon thermistors, which are about 250 nm thick. We find that it is associated with the bulk of the implant, and is interpretable as a ∆R/R fluctuation that is independent of the bias and depends only on the doping density and resistivity, or electron temperature. This excess noise is large enough that it has a significant effect on the energy resolution or NEP of a detector using these thermistors. The very steep temperature dependence of the 1/f noise suggested that it might be related to the conduction becoming two- dimensional, and we have fabricated thicker detectors to test this hypothesis. Similar doped silicon thermistors that are 1500 nm thick show negligible 1/f noise, but otherwise behave identically to the thinner thermistors of the same volume. This simple change could provide a 40% improvement in resolution for some existing X-ray detectors.