Performance of Hybrid NbTiN-Al Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors as Direct Detectors for Sub-millimeter Astronomy

Abstract

In the next decades millimeter and sub-mm astronomy requires large format imaging arrays and broad-band spectrometers to complement the high spatial and spectral resolution of the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array. The desired sensors for these instruments should have a background limited sensitivity and a high optical efficiency and enable arrays thousands of pixels in size. Hybrid microwave kinetic inductance detectors consisting of NbTiN and Al have shown to satisfy these requirements. We present the second generation hybrid NbTiN-Al MKIDs, which are photon noise limited in both phase and amplitude readout for loading levels $P_{850GHz}\ge 10$ fW. Thanks to the increased responsivity, the photon noise level achieved in phase allows us to simultaneously read out approximately 8000 pixels using state-of-the-art electronics. In addition, the choice of superconducting materials and the use of a Si lens in combination with a planar antenna gives these resonators the flexibility to operate within the frequency range $0.09<\nu <1.1$ THz. Given these specifications, hybrid NbTiN-Al MKIDs will enable astronomically usable kilopixel arrays for sub-mm imaging and moderate resolution spectroscopy.

arXiv comment7 pages, 3 figures. Presented at SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VII

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• Multiplexed Readout for 1000-pixel Arrays of Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors
• Wideband on-chip terahertz spectrometer based on a superconducting filterbank
• Initial Design of a W-band Superconducting Kinetic Inductance Qubit (Kineticon)
• The non-equilibrium response of a superconductor to pair-breaking radiation measured over a broad frequency band
• Development of Multi-Chroic MKIDs for Next-Generation CMB Polarization Studies