2018/03/08 by J. E. Austermann, J. A. Beall, S. A. Bryan +10 · 2 citations
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology #Superconducting and THz Device Technology #Terahertz technology and applications #astro-ph.IM
paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/s10909-018-1949-5
7 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. Submitted to Journal of Low Temperature Physics
arxiv created 2018/03/08 · openalex created_date 2018/03/29 · crossref issued 2018/05/10 · crossref published 2018/05/10 · crossref published-online 2018/05/10 · openalex publication_date 2018/05/10 · crossref created 2018/05/10 · arxiv updated 2018/06/13 · crossref published-print 2018/11/01 · crossref deposited 2025/07/04 · crossref indexed 2026/07/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) provide a compelling path forward to the large-format polarimeter, imaging, and spectrometer arrays needed for next-generation experiments in millimeter-wave cosmology and astronomy. We describe the development of feedhorn-coupled MKID detectors for the TolTEC millimeter-wave imaging polarimeter being constructed for the 50-meter Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT). Observations with TolTEC are planned to begin in early 2019. TolTEC will comprise ∼7,000 polarization sensitive MKIDs and will represent the first MKID arrays fabricated and deployed on monolithic 150 mm diameter silicon wafers -- a critical step towards future large-scale experiments with over 105 detectors. TolTEC will operate in observational bands at 1.1, 1.4, and 2.0 mm and will use dichroic filters to define a physically independent focal plane for each passband, thus allowing the polarimeters to use simple, direct-absorption inductive structures that are impedance matched to incident radiation. This work is part of a larger program at NIST-Boulder to develop MKID-based detector technologies for use over a wide range of photon energies spanning millimeter-waves to X-rays. We present the detailed pixel layout and describe the methods, tools, and flexible design parameters that allow this solution to be optimized for use anywhere in the millimeter and sub-millimeter bands. We also present measurements of prototype devices operating in the 1.1 mm band and compare the observed optical performance to that predicted from models and simulations.